Things left unsaid
by FairyxPrincess
Summary: So... Arnold is back from San Lorenzo... Helga is still in love with him as ever. Will she EVER be able to tell him how she feels? Or is he going to just have to beat it out of her? Well.. We shall see!
1. Chapter 1

**So I am very new to this site, and this is my first ever fanfiction... I usually stick to my own... characters and such. I am IN LOVE with hey Arnold, however and have been obsessed with reading all the fanfic's on here that I decided to try and write my own! I apologize if its not very good. I was also kinda skeptical about writing a cartoon based fanfic, I don't know why! but please bear with me! Thank you! xoxoxox**

**I suppose I need to put a disclaimer? So... Um, I don't own any of the hey Arnold episodes, it strictly belongs to Craig Bartlett and the fabulous nickelodeon. This is strictly a fan based story ^.^**

**Here goes nothing!**

Summer was finally nearing its end, and a very impatient football headed kid stared out the window of flight 118 (ironic). It would only be a couple more hours till his plane landed back in hillwood, his beloved childhood home. He could only begin to wonder if anything had changed since he'd left… After two more excruciating hours of bad airline food and being extremely restless a voice sounded over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would just hold tight, we will be landing in your destination in about five more minutes, thank you and have a good rest of the evening" the man's soothing voice caused Arnold to perk up and turn to his parents. "Mom, Dad, we're here! finally!" he exclaimed. Stella and Miles turned to their son, shooting warm smiles his way "You know, son if you missed it so much you could have stayed" Stella said and pulled him into a hug, kissing the top of his head. "I know, but I didn't want to miss out on a life with you guys, it was well worth it"Arnoldreplied and Miles ruffled his hair.

Once they landed in Hillwood, Arnold shot off the plane as fast as he could, standing at the baggage claim stood grandpa Phil, and grandma Gerdie holding up a sign that read "Welcome home Shortmans!"Arnoldshook his head with a large grin on his face as he ran up to them, embracing them both tightly; Stella and Miles followed close behind and soon joined in the hug. "Welcome home kids!" Phil exclaimed, completely ecstatic to have them back. "Hi, dad so glad to see you! and Mom! Wow! You look young as ever!" Miles chirped as they grabbed their bags and headed out to the Packard. They piled all their things into the bed includingArnold, while Miles and Stella cramped up in the front with Phil and Gerdie. The ride home was exhilarating,Arnoldbreathed in the fresh Hillwood air and smiled, leaning his head back "Man its good to be home..."

"Oh Arnold, my flaxen haired love... The football head of my dreams, my angel, my existence... The whole root of my being, you're finally coming back, after eight long years of not being able to stare into your emerald eyes! All these years of letters back and forth to my love do not compare to finally being face to face with you for good this time! _ohhhhhhhh my love"_The words flowed out of her mouth as she danced happily around her room, coming back to her computer screen to re-read over and over the email she had gotten from Arnold, her beloved since pre-k. He had sent the mass email to each of his friends a few weeks earlier, informing them he would be moving back to Hillwood for senior year.

_Hey, guys!_

_So, everything here in San Lorenzo is great! I've had the best summer and few years of my life here living with mom, dad, and the green eyed people! But something seems to have me uneasy lately, and I think I know what that is! I've missed all of you dearly and grandma, and grandpa... I miss walking the streets of Hillwood, PS 118, and although its very clear that we are no longer in elementary school, I've been able to convince my parents into letting me move back for my senior year! Since everything has been well with the green eye's and mom and dad are no longer needed here they've agreed to move back home as well! It will be great to see you all again!_

_Sincerely, Arnold P. Shortman_

The beautiful blonde girl danced around her room in a fit of joy, for tonight would be the night she would finally see her Arnold, her angel after eight long painful years. Everyone had missed him so much that they all pitched in to plan out the most kick ass surprise party for him, it would be held at Rhonda's mansion, naturally since her parents were out of town once again. Helga reached into her pocket, texting her best friend Phoebe to hurry up and come help her decide what to wear to the biggest party of the century. It was only mere moments till Phoebe was standing next to Helga looking at themselves in her full length mirror. Helga had definitely changed a lot in the last eight years. It took some therapy sessions twice a week for five years with Dr Bliss, and she was no longer that mean, nasty little bully she had used to be. Her thick furry one eyebrow no longer consumed her forehead but now was formed into two beautifully shaped eyebrows, thick yet feminine. Her pigtails were let down into luscious curls that fell at her waist, and a pretty pink headband had replaced her giant pink bow.

Phoebe had also changed quite a bit, her black hair fell just below her shoulders, her glasses had been replaced by contacts and she was still as smart as ever. She had decided to wear a strapless blue dress that came about three inches above her knee, with a slit up the side with a pair of matching blue flats. She wore a tiny black sweater over her arms and her hair tied up in a loose bun.

They desperately searched through Helga's closet to find something for her to wear, soon they decided on a tight black mini dress with a pair of black flats. It hugged her body in all the right places, and pushed her bust up nicely. She pulled her hair half up with a few loose strands falling in her face, a thin layer of mascara on her eyelashes and a pink shimmery lip gloss on her perfectly pouted lips. She twirled around in a circle and flipped her hair "How do I look, Pheebs?" she asked with a wink. Phoebe giggled "Arnolddoesn't stand a chance, Helga!" she quickly embraced her friend "But Helga… How do you know you still have feelings for him? I mean, it's been eight years… a lot of things can change in that period of time.." Phoebe questioned softly. Helga shook her head with a small smile "Oh, Phoebe… True love never dies" she said with a longing in her eyes as they walked out the door and headed off to Rhonda's. Halfway to her house Phoebe got a text from Gerald. She smiled and turned to Helga "Operation Arnold is in motion"

Arnoldwas sitting in the living area visiting with his grandparents and the boarders, listening to his father drone on about their exciting adventures inSan Lorenzo. He reached into his pocket after he felt his phone vibrate, it was a text from his best friend Gerald saying he was jumped up and ran to the door; his best friend was waiting with open arms. "Gerald!"Arnoldexclaimed and embraced his friend followed by their secret handshake. "It's good to see you my man!" Gerald said with a warm smile. Gerald looked the same, yet somehow different. His tall hair had shortened a few inches, he was taller, buffer and he wore a letterman jacket for his school, he was now the captain of the basketball , too, had changed a lot; he had grown into his oddly football shaped cranium, he wore his hair down instead of spiked up and he no longer wore his tiny blue hat. He was wearing a black polo shirt and a pair of nice fitting blue jeans with a pair of converse. He had definitely buffed up from all of his adventures inSan Lorenzo; he was tall and handsome as ever. No doubt he would have to beat off all his classmates with a stick.

"Come on in Gerald! I'm sure my grandparents will be happy to see you!"Arnoldchirped, but Gerald shook his head. "Actually, I was hoping you'd be able to come out with me tonight" he said with a huge "Let me ask my parents" he said and ran back inside. He found himself in the living room, waiting for his parents to finish their conversation "mom, dad, is it okay if I go hang out with Gerald tonight?" he asked. Stella shook her head with a frown "Arnold, I'm sure your grandparents want to visit with you tonight, son" she said assertively. Arnold frowned and looked down "Alright let me go tell Gerald" he started to turn around before Phil stopped him "Now shortman, you go have fun with your friends, I'm sure I can keep your parents entertained here" he said with a convincing around with excitement "really?" he asked and both his parents nodded "Have fun, son" Miles waved him off and with that he ran out the door. "Come on Gerald!" he said with a grin and they began walking.

"Where are we going, Gerald?"Arnoldasked with a confusion in his eyes, they had been walking for quite a while and had passed Gerald's house a few blocks back. Gerald smirked and shook his head "You'll see, man, you'll see" Gerald replied and continued to walk with his best friend. After a few minutes of walking they found themselves standing in front of a tall gate that read "Lloyd Manor"Arnoldraised an eyebrow and turned to Gerald. "Gerald, what are we doing at Rhonda's?" he asked suspicious. Gerald shook his head again "I told you, man. You'll see" he grinned and pushed a button, putting his face up to the intercom. "May I help you?" a voice said and Gerald quickly replied "Yeah, its Gerald" he said plainly. Suddenly the big white gate opened up and they walked down a long brick path, coming up to a large wooden door. A man stood in the doorway, dressed in black, at full attention. "Master, Gerald welcome" he said and led them inside. They walked down a long hallway and through a set of large double doors. Inside this room was pitch black which confusedArnold. Suddenly the butler Charles clapped his hands and the lights turned on, a large crowd all stood in one spot holding up a sign that read "WELCOME HOME ARNOLD!" and everyone yelled "SURPRISE!"

Arnoldwas stumped and full of joy; he gave his best friend a very approving smile and ran towards the crowd. Everyone was there, Rhonda, Harold, Curly, Cid, Patty, Lila… Oh, Lila… She was more beautiful than ever, she had cut her hair down to her chin in a bob, and she had bangs. Her fire engine red hair shined,Arnoldwould bet that it smelled like apples. She was around 5'2" and had a tiny waist, her bust was rather… Large… This madeArnoldblush just thinking about it. She wore a green dress with spaghetti straps and a light green sweater over it. On her feet was a pair of yellow flats. She looked so breath taking, so…. Perfect. With his lids at half mass, he began to walk over to her before he was stopped by a very beautiful, tall, fashionable Rhonda Wellington Lloyd.

She had cut him off in a tight embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. "Arnold, I am so glad to see you! You must tell be all about your fabulous adventures inSan Lorenzo! Look at you! So…. Handsome!" she squealed, a slight red tint creeping upon her as well at this comment, was Rhonda really calling him…. Attractive? "Uhm… Thanks Rhonda… You look good too" he replied, scratching the back of his neck. "Well of course I do,Arnold" she said in confidence. She had changed a lot. Her hair had grown down to her shoulders; it was raven black, shiny and beautiful. She was about 5'7" and slender with a tiny bust, she had a ballerina's body. She wore a red tank top, with a black pencil skirt and a pair of red heels, about two inches high. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, Rhonda, but I think I want to say hi to everyone if you don't mind"Arnoldsaid and walked passed her. Rhonda scoffed and turned her nose up "Well I never" she said and sauntered away. "How dare he blow me off"

Arnoldwas about five or six feet away from Lila when a rather tall, buff guy stepped in front of him. _Damnit_ Arnold thought to himself before looking into the eyes of Harold Berman. He was….. Looking good! Wow! He was tall, about 6'4" and he was… Buff! He had shed his entire baby fat and bulked up, becoming the captain of the football team, after a long grueling feud between him and Wolfgang. He wore a letterman jacket and a pair of blue jeans, with a white t-shirt, and a pair of steel toed boots. No doubt one kick from him and you'd no doubt go flying into Tim buck two. "Wow, Harold! Look at you!"Arnoldstared up at him in amazement,Arnoldwas not short, but he was definitely shorter than Harold. After all, he only stood at about 6"0' himself. Harold laughed and scooped him up into a tight bear hug "Welcome homeArnold, we missed you!" he exclaimed, almost suffocating the poor football head. "Thanks, I missed you too, but I-" he began but was cut off by Harold's and played along before cutting Harold off "Well, I'll talk to you later, Harold! Nice seeing you"Arnoldpushed passed him.

He searched for Lila, but she didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. He sighed to himself before hearing a throat clear. He smile and turned around, meeting Lila's gaze. "Hello,Arnold" she said with a blush to her cheeks, she pushed a strand of hair behind her ears and walked up to him. He grinned and without thinking scooped her up into his arms; he was right…. Apples…. "Lila!" he cried and she gigged. "How ever have you been,Arnold?" she asked in her ever so sweet voice, it hadn't changed in the slightest. It was soft, sweet, and melted; he had forgotten how much he liked her. "I've been good! I-I missed you, Lila! How have you been?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck, nervous. She smiled and moved closer to him "Oh, I'm ever so sure I've been just well… And I'm ever so sure that I missed you too,Arnold" she said, her eyes half mass as she leaned [i]ever so[/i] closer to him. Wow! This was crazy! He'd never been so close to Lila before! He could just grab her and kiss her before….

"Well! If it _isn't_ football head come back from his crazy adventures inSan Lorenzo!"

Arnoldquickly turned around to catch the eye of none other than Helga G. Pataki. Upon looking at her, his eyes grew wide and his face became completely beet red. She had by far been the one to change the most. No unibrow, no giant pink bow, no pigtails…. She was leaning against a wall, staring at him with a beautiful smile. "H-Helga…?" he muttered and she chuckled, walking towards him. "That's my name _football_ head don't wear it out" she said now only a foot from him. It had been eight years since their rendezvous inSan Lorenzo, since she had helped him through the most crucial time in his life… Since she had reunited him with his parents…. This was absolutely the most wonderful thing that anyone had ever done for him, and he felt forever indebted to her. "Get lost, Miss perfect" Helga snarled at Lila, she scoffed and walked away, joining Gerald and the others.

"Helga…."Arnoldmuttered and gripped her waist, bringing her into a tight embrace.

She blushed deeply and took a deep breath, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his hair before pushing him away, smirking slightly. "Yeesh, Football head don't get all mushy on me!" she said with a warm softly "Man, it's good to see you, Helga…. You've changed…" he said with another blush. Wow, Helga certainly had changed alright, she had filled out nicely, and she was sexy, beautiful and charismatic. Sure she still called him football head, but that was a nick name he had surprisingly grown to love. "I hope that's a good thing Arnoldo" Helga smirked and playfully punched him in the shoulder. She was still aggressive, but it was a nice kick to her. "Yeah, its great Helga"Arnoldreplied, blushing. It wasn't long before Phoebe ran up to them and threw her arms around his neck "Arnold!" she squealed and hugged him tightly. He returned the squeeze with a smile upon his lips "Hey, Phoebe!"

"Arnold, you really must tell us of your adventures!" Phoebe cried

"Yeah, Football head what was it like living in the jungle?" Helga added.

Suddenly everyone was surroundingArnoldwith curiosity stricken , all the attention was on him, and although he didn't think much of his adventures apparently everyone else did. "Well…." He began "After you all left eight years ago things got a little… well… bad…" everyone gasped "What happened,Arnold?" Phoebe inquired shockingly. "A horrible disease spread among the green eyed people, it claimed a lot of lives, it was really sad. But mom and dad got that under control pretty fast and eventually passed… I met a girl…"

"A girl!" Rhonda cried in excitement. _A GIRL _Helga thought to herself, her face burning with jealousy. "Yeah, a girl…"Arnoldsaid with a nervous chuckle "My man, you never told me about a girl!" Gerald put his arm aroundArnold's shoulder approvingly. "Well, her name was Joanna…." He began before Harold interrupted "Was she hot?"Arnoldnodded "She was… Beautiful" he daydreamed about the first day they met. "Gee, what did she look like?" a familiar voice asked. It was Ugene! WowArnoldhadn't noticed him! He hadn't changed a bit aside from the fact that he had gotten a lot taller. His hair still bright orange, he never grew out of his socks and sandals though…. "Well… Long auburn hair, very green eyes… freckles…" he trailed off, getting a vivid image of her in his head. "After the green eyed people grew increasingly ill, mom and dad called in two of their good friends who had helped them in crisis before… And they had brought Joanna with them…" He leaned against the table "There she was, tall and beautiful… She was helping nurse a baby koala back to health, she saw me and came up to introduce herself….." he trailed off…

**Okay…. So, I REALLY hope you guys enjoy this…. I don't really know where im going with the story yet, so for now its just ramblings that come to me as I go along… But eventually the story will all fall into place… I think I might have an idea.**

**Please go easy on me!**

**Eeeep!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here you go… Chapter two! I know I was a bit all over the place and such, and I wasn't too specific about their adventures but it will get more juicy and involved I promise! I really hope you guys like it! Please review and stuff, let me know if it sucks and if I should just give up while I'm ahead :P**

**Again, I don't own Hey Arnold and blah blah blah Craig Bartlett, and Nickelodeon and Blah Blah Blah**

**Here we goooo!**

_**Chapter 2:**_

_**I feel you, Joanna…**_

There she was, feeding a small animal through a bottle… She had turned to glance at him, a smile plastered upon her pale lips. She handed the small creature to a man working in the care center and strolled over to Arnold, who had seemed to be in a day dream. "Hi, you must be Arnold, I'm Joanna… It's so nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you and your parents from my mom and dad!" she said sweetly and held out her hand for Arnold to take. He was snapped back into reality and gently gripped her pale hand "Uh, Hi, its nice to meet you too" he said with a smile, and a blush. She giggled, a blush tinting her cheeks also. She was so beautiful! Her hair was so shiny and soft looking; he wanted to run his fingers through the silky locks. He watched as a man and woman walked up with Stella and Miles.

"Oh, Arnold, I see you've met Joanna" his mother said happily, he nodded lost for words. He met her alright, and it was love at first sight. "Son, this is Nancy and Jeremy" Miles introduced her parents to him. "They were here with us when your mom was still pregnant with you" his dad added. Arnold smiled and held out his hand "Hi, its nice to-" he was cut off when Nancy grabbed him into a tight hug "Oh, Arnold! I haven't seen you since you were a newborn! You look so wonderful!" she said, sniffling, trying to suppress tears. His parents were extremely close with them, and these were his godparents in the event his grandparents passed and so had Miles and Stella, he would end up in their care. He had never met them, and yet he felt a deep love for them. "How're you son? Doing well in school I hope?" Jeremy asked and patted him on the back "Yeah" Arnold smiled. "How are things coming along with the cure you're working on?" Arnold asked concerned. "Well, son we are on the verge of a major breakthrough so we will leave you kids to get to know each other" Miles turned back to the papers he was holding in his hand and earlier going over with Nancy, Stella, and Jeremy, they started to walk off and Nancy quickly turned to glance at Arnold "It was so good to see you, Arnold!" she called to him and waved. "He god so handsome!" she murmured off in the distance to Miles and Stella, they all laughed in agreement.

"So… Um…" He turned to Joanna, nervous, unaware of what to say to an utterly beautiful girl. She giggled and took his hand "Would you like to go for a walk, Arnold?" she asked, her lids half open. She sure didn't miss an opportunity to bond with a beautiful boy in the middle of the jungle. He nodded surprised that she had so boldly taken his hand like that "I would love to" he replied to her and they walked out of camp. "Your parents have told us a lot about you, and I think you are just wonderful" she said with a shyer sort of tone to her voice, and Arnold chuckled nervously. His parents hadn't told him anything about her, but he didn't want to be rude and say that so he nodded instead. They walked through the jungle, down a path that had been made by the residents of the camp, there were trails marked off that were unsafe and there were trails that had been made safe for adventure. Arnold usually stuck to these paths but today would be different. "I missed this place so much, I'm so glad to be back here helping my parents with the green eyed people and all the animals" Joanna said reminiscently. "Yeah, its amazing, I'm glad I decided to stay" Arnold replied as they came up to a sign and a few different paths, three of them were marked off as damned so they took the safe route. "I remember a place where I used to go as a little girl and write…." She said with her finger to her chin, thinking if she could remember where it was "It was somewhere around here…. Its beautiful, I wonder if its still here" she added trying her hardest to remember. They continued walking till finally she stopped "I remember now! It's this way! Follow me Arnold!" she exclaimed and ran off, down an unmarked path. "Um, Joanna! I don't think its safe to…." By that time she was already feet away from him so he ran after her. He didn't want her to get lost in the jungle by herself with strange… things… out there. "Joanna!" he called after her, finally catching up to her.

They ran for about twenty minutes before she stopped and turned to face him. "This is our secret, okay?" she asked, out of breath. Arnold panted and nodded, tired. "Okay…" he said softly. She grabbed a curtain of vines and pulled them to the side, stepping behind them. Arnold slowly followed behind; he was now standing before a giant waterfall and a large pool of crystal clear water. It was strangely familiar looking, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it… Joanna turned to him with a smile "My parents brought me here once; they told me it's where they had first met…. They were both lost so they took shelter in a cave behind the falling water… They told me that the water is so cold that no bacteria can grow in it, it's so pure… So pure that you can drink from it" she said turning to him with a smile. "Follow me" she said and ran towards the waterfall.

Arnold followed close behind her, trying to figure out why this place looked so familiar…. Well, no use in thinking about it now, he was here and with a beautiful girl at that so he decided he would just think about it later. They walked up to the large pool of water; Joanna giggled slightly and began unbuttoning her white shirt. "Um… Joanna?" Arnold asked, turning bright red. "Relax, Arnold" she giggled and removed her shirt and her tan shorts to reveal a black and pink lace bra and matching underwear. Arnold turned around, bright red, his skin felt hot; he didn't know what to do. He was standing next to a beautiful girl in her underwear! It looked enough like a bathing suit that it wasn't too revealing but it still made him very nervous.

She laughed and walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder. "Well, are you coming, Arnold?" she asked with a warm smile. He turned around, trying not to stare at her perfect body, he nodded. "Um… Sure…" he murmured and removed his shirt and shorts. He was wearing a pair of blue boxers, he was extremely shy but he would soon get over it when she giggled and grabbed his hand pulling him towards the water. She pushed him into the deep part of the water and quickly jumped in after him. "It's freezing!" Arnold exclaimed when he resurfaced, Joanna laughed "It's not so bad once you get used to it! Besides it feels good in the blazing heat" she sighed and closed her eyes, floating on her back.

They splashed and played in the water for what seemed like hours, Joanna grabbed his hand and led him towards the waterfall "I want to show you something" she smiled and pushed passed the falling water and climbed into the cave, he followed. It was a large dark cave and the sound of dripping water echoed off the walls, it was damp and cold, yet somehow it was amazingly beautiful and… Well, romantic. Joanna climbed onto the rocks and extended her hand to help Arnold up, he sat besides her smiling. She returned his smile and leaned her head against his shoulder, her wet hair falling over his damp chest. He crossed his arms, shivering slightly; he noticed her shivering a little so he slid his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to share the warmth. "My parents told me stories of how they would meet here before I was born… Sort of their 'official' secret spot… but I suppose its no secret anymore" she giggled and looked up at him. "I remember one time, I got so angry at them for not letting me go on their safari trip, something about poachers and lions so I decided I would run away and come live here. I had an endless supply of water" she laughed remembering. Arnold laughed a long with her and stared into her deep green eyes. "They found me a few hours later sleeping in here" she added and shook her head "I had hoped to share this place with someone one day" she said with a smile. Arnold returned the smile, leaning down with his half lidded gaze; Joanna leaned closer as well and….

"Oh, dear lord, Arnold! You didn't! You only knew the girl for a few hours!" Rhonda gasped, scolding Arnold for moving to fast. Arnold was snapped back into reality from his day dream by Rhonda's ranting. "What are you implying Rhonda?" Arnold asked. "She was amazing, and beautiful, and nothing extreme happened, we just kissed…." Arnold said. At this comment Helga felt a pang in her heart, her face was hot with anger and she wanted to grab his football head and punt it across the ballroom. "If you ask me, she sounds like a fakey little princess snob!" Helga cried in jealousy. Phoebe elbowed her in the side "Shhh… Helga…." She whispered. "She wasn't fake, Helga… She was amazing, and sweet and wonderful" Arnold interrupted. "Alright, whatever man so you kissed her… Big deal… What [i]else[/i] happened, huh?" Gerald asked raising his eyebrow. "Yeah! Go on with the story! I wanna hear what happened next!" Harold whined in his usual… Whine…

"Anyway…" Arnold continued.

Arnold leaned closer, Joanna leaned closer and soon their lips met one another's softly and sweetly. They pulled away and smiled at each other, they continued to sit and chat idly for a few more hours before Arnold notice the sun began to set. "Maybe we should get back… its getting late and the jungle isn't a safe place at night" Arnold said and stood up, helping Joanna up as well. "Maybe you're right" Joanna replied and they headed off, they both got dressed and headed back to camp. When they got to the cabin their parents were sitting inside conversing, when they saw their children they smiled and welcomed them inside "There you kids are, we were about to call out the search party!" Miles chuckled. Stella walked over to Joanna and ran her fingers through her damp hair "Oh, honey why are you all wet?" Stella asked in concern. Both Arnold and Joanna laughed and looked at each other "We went for a swim" she smiled and turned to her parents, it was then they knew exactly where they had been. They sat and talked with their parents, laughing and joking almost the rest of the night, before finally deciding to call it a night, they all went to their rooms and slept till dawn.

Their summer rendezvous lasted for a couple months, Joanna and Arnold helped their parents with the green eyed people, and their bond grew ever stronger. They visited their 'special' spot almost on a daily basis and it wasn't long till they had finally decided to completely give themselves to one another. This took place in the very spot they had shared for those beautiful months. There they lay, in the damp cave they had made their own, the sound of the waterfall echoing off the walls. This time they had swim suits, Joanna's was a black halter top with matching shorts, Arnolds was blue with green pinstripes down the legs. They had been caught up in a passionate make out session, their hands wandering each others bodies.

Joanna pulled away from Arnold for a brief moment, her head seemed…. Somewhere else. "Are you okay?" Arnold asked concerned, running his fingers through her auburn strands. She shook her head "Arnold…" she muttered softly and leaned up slightly, holding her weight on her elbows, Arnold leaned back a little to look into her emerald eyes. "What is it?" he asked softly. "Well, Arnold… our parents have gotten the sickness under control and…." She paused and looked down. "And?" Arnold pressed curiously "That's a good thing, isn't it?" he asked. She nodded and her gaze met his "Of course, its wonderful, I'm so glad that everything has been worked out and the green eyed people can finally live in peace…." She began.

Arnold was silent, staring at her flawless face. "But now they're better and…. Well I was going to tell you sooner but I didn't know how…. But tomorrow well… We're leaving…" she said softly, there was sadness in her voice. Arnold sighed and sat up, looking down at her, she was so perfect…. He knew deep down that this couldn't have lasted forever; it was just a fling… "Why are you leaving so soon, though?" he asked softly. She sat up and looked at him. "My parents wanted me to spend my last year of high school at an actual school, something about meeting friends, and having a normal life…" she said sadly "School starts next month and they want to send me to live with my grandparents so I can prepare…." She leaned her head against his shoulder "I had an amazing time… But you must have known this wouldn't be a forever thing… Right?" she looked up at him, he nodded. "Of course I knew, I just didn't think it would have ended so soon…" he said softly, sadly. She cupped her hands over his cheeks and smiled "Well…. We're here… now… We can give each other one thing that we'll never forget…" she said and leaned up, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. He knew exactly what she was talking about…

He was skeptical about this… He had never been intimate with a girl… But she was his first real love… well not first, but the first girl to ever love him back… and what more of a romantic first time then in the deep of the jungle behind a waterfall? He broke the kiss and stared deeply into her eyes for a long moment "Are… Are you sure…?" he asked softly, his breathing growing heavy. She nodded "I've never been surer about anyone in my life… You're amazing… I love you" she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck "Just promise that one day we will be together again" she pleaded. He smiled with a reassuring nod "Of course we will" he said and slid his arms around her waist. They fell back gently against the cold wet ground, their lips and bodies entwining around each other. This couldn't have been a more perfect moment, for the both of them.

"Oh my GOD, Arnold! You didn't!" Rhonda exclaimed, snapping him back from his thoughts again.

Arnold turned to look at her, his cheeks turning a beet red. "I-I…." was all he could muster. Helga had snuck to the back of the crowd, and half way through his intimate love tale she had managed to leave the room. She couldn't bear to hear another word of this. How could he possibly lose his virginity with a girl he only knew a few months, when she had been obsessively in love with him for fourteen years! She had saved herself for HIM this entire time! She waited for the day he would come back and claim her! Guys had made advances to her on more than one occasion and no matter how attractive they were she had said NO every time! She waited and waited and now he had come back to tell her of how he was no longer pure! It was an outrage! Helga's blue orbs began to well up with furious tears, she couldn't stay in this godforsaken house another minute! Upset, and hurt, and without warning to even Phoebe she left and practically ran all the way home. Even the thought of Arnold in the arms of another woman disgusted her, this was definitely not the way she had planned spending Arnold's welcome home party…

Gerald smacked Arnold hard right on his back "Way to go, man!" he exclaimed, excited. "You beat most of us to the punch! I'm proud of you!" he playfully punched his best friend in the arm. Arnold blushed. "Gerald!" Phoebe scolded and smacked him in the shoulder. Gerald blushed and rubbed his shoulder "Sorry…." He muttered and frowned at her. She scoffed and turned her nose up, crossing her arms over her chest. All the guys in the room certainly praised Arnold, and most of the girls were not impressed.

"What happened after, Arnold?" Harold asked, interested. Arnold sighed and continued…

They had spent the night together, laying in each others arms enjoying the last night they would have together. When they awoke the next morning, Arnold looked down at her and smiled. She stretched like a cat and yawned, sitting up to stare into his eyes "You think our parents are worried about us?" she giggled and he nodded, caressing her arm slightly. "Probably…. Maybe we should head back" he suggested and stood up, he pulled his swim trunks back on and yawned. Joanna put her bikini back on as well and took his hand "Let's go" she said and they made their way back to camp. When they got there they met up with their parents who had seemed really worried that they hadn't come back all night "Where were you kids! We were about to call a search party! We thought you might've eloped!" Miles half scolded. "Sorry, Dad, we went for a swim and then… Fell asleep, I guess we didn't realize how late it had gotten" Arnold apologized, looking down at the ground. "Don't be too hard on them, Miles… After all it was their last night together" Nancy said softly. She had always been more understood then most parents. Eventually the subject had been dropped and Miles, Stella and Arnold had driven them to their plane.

There they stood, Arnold and Joanna…. In a tight embrace… Neither one of them wanting to leave the other. This would no doubt be the hardest goodbye Arnold had yet to face. "Remember, Arnold… One day we will be together again…" Joanna took his hand. He nodded "Yes, I promise…" he said and leaned down kissing her softly on the lips "Swear…" she muttered softly. "I swear" he replied. He watched as she climbed into the plane, it lifted higher and higher into the air till it was out of sight. "I'll never forget you, Joanna…." And with that, she was gone….

"Oh, Arnold… That was beautiful…." Phoebe said wiping a tear from her eye and placing her hands over her heart. "Yes, positively wonderful and heart breaking! You must find her again!" Rhonda jumped up and wrapped her arms around Arnold's neck. Apparently the sad ending had won over the hearts of all the girls. "No matter what, I will find her again…" he muttered and glanced off into the distance, thinking.

Lila had somehow managed to make her way up to the front and she was now standing in front of Arnold. She had never seen that side of him before, of course he had always tried to get her to go out with him and every time she declined. However, this heartbreaking story had made her look at him in a different light. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat "Wow, Arnold… That story was ever so sweet and well frankly I think you're just ever so wonderful…" she said smiling, her eyes half lidded. Rhonda let go of her grip on Arnold and nodded "I agree, Arnold, you're the sweetest…" she was looking at him with the same look Lila had on her face. Arnold blushed, what was going on? Had his story really gotten to them? Or were they just excited that one of their classmates had a romantic fire to him whereas all the other boys were just horny and full of hormones. "Um, Thanks guys…." He said scratching the back of his neck, chuckling nervously.

Phoebe had glanced around the room, it was getting late and she hadn't seen Helga since the beginning of the party, where was she? She grabbed her phone from her purse and texted Helga, making sure she was okay.

**Phoebe: Hey, Helga… Where did u go?**

**Helga: I went home**

**Phoebe: What, Y? I thought I was gunna spend the night?**

**Helga: U can still come over**

**Phoebe: O.K. I'll have Gerald walk me, B there soon**

**Helga: K**

Phoebe placed her phone back in her purse and turned to Gerald "Gerald, I hope you don't mind walking me to Helga's house? It's getting kind of late" Phoebe asked softly. "Sure thing" Gerald said with a smile and put his jacket over Phoebe's shoulders. "Hey man, I'm gunna walk Phoebe home, will you be alright?" he asked. Arnold turned his attention from the swooning girls and nodded "Yeah, that's fine Gerald, see you later" he said and waved to him. "Let's go Phoebe" he said and cupped her hand. After they left, the rest of the party goers all shuffled out one by one. Now it was down to Rhonda, Lila and Arnold.

"Arnold, would you mind terribly walking me home?" Lila asked sweetly "It's ever so late and I get scared walking by myself" she added. Arnold nodded "Sure, Lila no problem" Rhonda butted in shortly "I can always give you guys a ride home" she said glaring at Lila. "I'm ever so sure I wouldn't want to impose, Rhonda…" she retorted, wanting to steal Arnold away. "I'm ever so sure I don't mind, Lila…." Rhonda mocked and pulled her keys out of her purse. "Gee, Thanks, Rhonda that's nice of you" Arnold said with a smile. Lila sighed heavily and followed them out to Rhonda's Benz.

Arnold could feel the tension in the car between the two girls; it was so thick he could cut it with a knife…. Rhonda dropped Lila off first; she wanted to get rid of her soon as possible. Lila stepped out of the car and turned to Arnold "It was ever so nice to see you tonight, Arnold, I'm ever so glad you're back…" she said with a smile and pulled out a pen from her purse, she wrote her number on the palm of his hand and kissed him on the cheek. She turned to look over her shoulder at him, winking and smiling before walking inside. Arnold blushed and shook his head, what had just happened? The two teenagers drove off and headed in the direction of the Boarding house. "Thanks again, Rhonda for the ride" he said smiling over at her. She nodded before placing her hand on his "It's no problem, really" she said and smiled, her eyes meeting his. He looked down at their hands and blushed, why were these two being so aggressive with him? Was it because they knew he had more experience then most of the guys in their school? He swallowed a huge lump in his throat "Um…." He muttered. Rhonda looked over at him "So, what are you doing this Saturday, Arnold?" she asked. He shook his head "I'm not sure yet…. I just got back today and all…." He answered.

As they pulled up to the boarding house, Rhonda gave him her cell number "Text me if you're not busy, I'd LOVE to catch a movie and some dinner with you" she winked. "Um… Sure, sounds great, Rhonda" he said confused as he got out of the car. She waved "Bye, Arnold" she said as she drove off. Arnold watched as her car disappeared out of sight. He looked down at his hand at both the numbers written on each of his palms. He programmed them into his cell phone.

"Weird…." He muttered and turned to walk inside…..

**Oh god… I suck! I hope you guys liked the story! I think I finally figured out where I'm going to go with this story! Well, sit tight cause I'm already working on chapter three!**

**Eeeeep!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so it's been a couple days since I've updated but you know life and all that jazz. Um, I thought I wouldn't get many readers but I actually did so I'll be updating as often as I can for you guys. Here's chapter three, hope you enjoy ^.^**

**Disclaimer: Hey Arnold, Craig Bartlett, Nickelodeon… Yadda yadda.**

Helga stomped through her front door in a fit of rage, her emotions were going crazy and she couldn't control it. "I'm HOME! Not like anyone ever cares!" she shouted to anyone who cared to listen. "Now wait a minute little lady, where have you been? I'm starving and dinner was not on the table when I got home!" A disgruntled voice shouted as a very large Big Bob the beeper king, well now he was the king of cell phone's since beepers had gone out of style years ago. Helga snarled and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms "I told you BOB, I went to a welcome home party for Arnold. Not like YOU care" Helga talked back, very upset. "You went to a party for Albert dressed like THAT?" he scolded, referring to her revealing mini-dress. "Go fix dinner Olga!" he shouted as he began to walk back into the living room where he mindlessly watched TV every night. "Why didn't Miriam cook dinner? She IS the woman of the house! Not me!" Helga began to walk up the stairs. "I don't know where she is! Now get to it before I starve in here!" Bob shouted back at her from the living room.

"Make your own dinner!" Helga yelled back already halfway to her room.

She slammed her door behind her, mumbling "Lazy good for nothing…" she scowled and plopped down onto her bed. Just as her head hit the pillow she got a text from Phoebe, she would be coming over soon.

Helga let out a long exasperated sigh and roughly shoved her face into her pillow, letting out a loud cry. "That stupid football head! How could he! Who does he think he is!" she cried to herself, punching her pillow over and over in a fit of rage. "I'm here crying my eyes out, waiting for him to come home, obsessing and swooning over his stupid football head, while he's off traipsing around with Jo-anna" she growled, the image of Arnold and some girl fornicating in some cave behind some waterfall played over and over in her head, it caused her to vomit a little in her mouth. "Damnit you stupid, idiot, moron! I want to pound your face in, I hate you, I hate you so much…. And yet… I love you…. You're more beautiful than I remember…" She pulled out a tiny locket with a picture of her football headed love god. "You're romantic, and loving, you're perfect! What is your problem! Why can't you see that I love you! Even after FTI, even after reuniting you with your loving, amazing parents, you still can't see how deeply I care for you… You and your stupidly shaped head, I HATE YOU!" She screamed right as the doorbell rang.

"Olga, you're little friend is here!" Big Bob yelled up to her. Helga rolled her eyes and opened her door "My name is HELGA, DAD!" she screamed angrily and stomped down the stairs to greet her small Asian friend. "Good Evening, Mr. Pataki…" Phoebe said politely and greeted Helga, walking up the stairs and into her room. They walked over to the bed and sat down. Phoebe stared at Helga with concern; she could see the discontent in her eyes. "Helga, something seems to be troubling you…" Phoebe said and placed her hand on Helga's shoulder. Helga sighed and nodded "Yeah, Pheebs… I really thought tonight would be different…." She said and walked over to her drawer, pulling out a pair of Pjs for her and a pair for Phoebe, noticing she was still in her blue dress. They undressed and got comfortable in the pajamas. "Was it… Arnold…?" Phoebe asked shyly, referring to his story. Helga nodded and flopped back down onto her bed, face first. "I should have known, Phoebe! Everything that happened between us didn't mean anything! No wonder he stopped emailing every day…." She moaned and turned over to look at her best friend who was frowning. "Helga, did you honestly think that after…. All those years Arnold wouldn't meet someone…?" she asked sadly. Helga nodded "Of course I didn't! But somehow I thought that everything that happened between us would have made him realize that I'm the one for him! I HAVE to make him see that I love him, Phoebe! I will die before I ever let anyone come in between us again…." She said, determined.

Phoebe looked concerned at this statement "Helga… that's a little… intense wouldn't you say?"

"My love for that stupid football head IS intense, Phoebe! We have a bond that… That no one else could possibly ever understand!"

"Maybe that bond is just… a really strong friendship?"

"Phoebe! What if Gerald slept with another girl! What would you do!"

Phoebe was silent at this question. She had never thought of that, sure they weren't an item, but Phoebe was in love with Gerald, she had been since the fourth grade…. Even seeing other girls fall all over him upset her to the fullest extent. Gerald always denied their advances because he felt the same way about Phoebe, but it still made her blood boil. "I would…. I would, I would curse her!" she said trying to find the right words to express her anger. Her fists were balled up, and her breathing quickened. Helga placed her hand on Phoebe's shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Calm down, Pheebs… It hasn't even happened and look how upset you are! Now just multiply that by a million!" she wailed and face palmed.

"Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa! I'm home!" Arnold called as he walked into the door, no doubt everyone was still in the living room, visiting. Arnold walked in to join them smiling as he entered. "Shortman, you're home!" Phil said happily and patted the seat next to him. Arnold shook his head "Nah, I think I'm going to go to bed, Grandpa… I'm kinda tired" he said. They all bid him farewell and he walked up to his room. He wasn't surprised that they had left it exactly the same as before he left. It seemed a little outdated and he would have to fix that, but for now he wanted to just relax and enjoy himself. He flopped down on his bed and stared up at the stars shining through his skylight, he was tired yet he couldn't sleep. Something was bugging him. He hadn't seen Helga leaving with the rest of them, as a matter of fact; he hadn't seen her since the beginning of the party and wondered where she had gone… He pulled his phone from his pocket and decided to email her from it.

Hey Helga, I didn't see you leave; I hope everything is alright… I'm sorry we didn't get to catch up very much… shoot me a text if you get the chance… My number is 555-0123

Sincerely,

Arnold P. Shortman.

With that, Arnold turned over and shut his eyes…

Beep, Beep, Beeeeeeeeep…

Helga grabbed her phone off of the nightstand after getting an email notification. She read who the email was from and it said Arnold Shortman. She gasped and showed the phone to Phoebe "Well, see what it says, Helga…" she mumbled and Helga quickly pressed 'read' she read the email wide eyed "He asked me to text him…." She said softly in Phoebe's direction, Phoebe blinked "So… text him?" she replied and Helga quickly saved the number in her phone as 'Football head' she shot him a text.

**Helga: Hey football head, what do you want**

**Football Head: I wanted to see if you were okay… I didn't see you leave…**

**Helga: I'm fine… What do you care Arnoldo**

**Football Head: Well… I didn't get a chance to catch up with you….**

**Pause**

**Football Head: Coffee 2morrow….?**

**Pause**

**Football Head: Helga….?**

**Helga: Whatever you say. I'm going to bed. Goodnite.**

Helga quickly turned to Phoebe "He… Wants me to go on a date with him tomorrow!" she squealed excitedly. "He called it a date?" Phoebe asked, tilting her head to the side. "Well… No…. he said he wanted to catch up over coffee…." She said, her hopes almost shattered by Phoebe's comment. "Well, it's a start…" Phoebe smiled. Helga smiled back at her small friend and nodded. "Well, I'm tired, Pheebs, lets call it a night" she said and turned out the light. They crawled under Helga's pink satin sheets and closed their eyes, cuddling close to each other; the minute their eyes shut they were out like a light.

The morning light rose high in its bright blue sky, the sunlight shining over a sleeping football head. Emerald eyes opened slowly and Arnold sat up, stretching lazily and yawning. He scratched his head and headed downstairs, following the syrupy scent that permitted the air, making his way into the kitchen where his parent's sat. Grandpa was still sleeping and grandma was making waffles, French toast and pancakes because everyone wanted something different. "Morning sleepy head, did you sleep well?" his mother asked kissing the top of his head. "Best sleep I've had in a long time" Arnold smiled. "Morning, Grandma… Breakfast smells intoxicating" he walked over and kissed his grandmother on the cheek "Well good morning, Kimba, breakfast is served!" she said delightfully placing a tall stack of pancakes, waffles, and French toast in front of him, it was at least a foot tall. "Grandma, I don't really think I can eat all that…" Arnold said with a chuckle "Now, Kimba, you have to eat your veggies if you don't want the mole people to suck out your brain" she said as she sat down. Arnold was the only one with food in front of him; he looked towards his parents and the boarders. After a few moments he grabbed some pancakes off the top and passed the plate around for everyone to have some. Oh grandma, how he had missed her crazy antics.

They all sat and ate, enjoying each others company and grandpa joined them somewhere in the middle. Gerdie had placed a tall stack of pancakes in front of him topped with fresh raspberries and whipped cream "Awh, Pookie! I told you! No raspberries!" he cried. "I told you, Phil, raspberries keep the mole people away" Grandma said plainly, Arnold chuckled. When he was finished he washed his plate and put it away "Mom, Dad, I'm going to Gerald's. I'll be back later" he said almost making it out the door "Arnold… When are you going to visit with your grandparents? They've missed you…" His mother said with a frown. "Now, Stella… Arnold is a teenager now; he's got his own things he's got to do let the kid have fun!" Phil said, his stomach starting to gurgle. "Well… I suppose… Don't be home too late and call me if you need anything!"

"I will, mom!"

Arnold showered and changed into a blue button down shirt and a pair of black jeans, running a comb through his hair he ran out of the house where he met with Gerald. They had made plans to catch a movie and get some ice cream. "Hey my man!" Gerald grinned and they did their secret hand shake as they'd done many times before. "What's up, Gerald! You ready? The movie starts soon…. But I can't hang out too long, I made… Other plans…" Arnold said as they walked towards the theatre. "Other plans, man?" Gerald asked and Arnold nodded "Yeah…."

"What other plans?"

"Um…. Helga and I are supposed to go for coffee… But she hasn't texted me yet…"

"You're blowing me off for Helga?"

"Not blowing you off… I just wanted to catch up with her…."

"Whatever you say, man"

They made it to the theatre and took their seats, waiting for the movie to start, popcorn and drinks in hand. Man it felt good to hang out with his best friend, he was full of nostalgia.

"Phoeeeebeeeee! What am I going to wear!" Helga jumped up and down on a sleeping Phoebe, trying to make the tiny Asian girl wake up. Phoebe tiredly sat up and rubbed her eyes "Well… I suppose you should wear clothes…." She said with a yawn, dragging herself out of bed and to Helga's closet. They fumbled through the clothes, throwing most of them on the ground till they had picked out the perfect outfit, even though Helga had said no to it a million times already. It was a black button up tank top with floral print all over, it had a cluster of ruffles down the front, pair dark blue jeans and some black ballet flats. She straightened her yellow hair and applied very light makeup. She looked casual, yet beautiful. She grabbed her phone from her nightstand, no text from Arnold…. She waited and waited till finally

**Football Head: Hey, Helga still on for coffee?**

**Helga: Meh… I guess I have nothing better to do with my day… What time?**

**Football Head: I'll be at your house in half an hour**

**Helga: Whatever floats your boat**

Helga turned to phoebe and squealed "Im gunna tell him, Phoebe! Today!" she said happily "Right after I pound him for sleeping around with the whole Jungle, that pigheaded little creep!" her excitement turned to anger. Phoebe sighed; she was used to her friend's emotional rollercoaster that she just learned to keep her mouth shut. She had to admit, though… Helga had gotten a LOT better since her long sessions with Dr. Bliss, she was showing much more improvement, and that was all that mattered. She only hoped that eventually she would completely overcome all her bottled up rage… For her own sake… For her happiness… For her sanity. Phoebe smiled at her friend "Well, I'll head home now and let you finish getting ready, good luck Helga, I love you!" she said with a smile and left.

Half an hour later the doorbell rang…

"Olga! Your little friend ALBERT is here!"

Helga scowled and headed down the stairs "I told you BOB! My name is HELGA and his name is ARNOLD!" she shouted. Before she made it to the bottom, her eyes met Arnold's green gaze, he was shocked at how…. Feminine she looked… She was shocked at how drop dead beautifully stunningly gorgeous he was, she tried her best not to gawk. She quickly shook the loving gaze off her face and met Arnold at the bottom of the stairs "What're you looking at, Arnoldo…" she scowled and crossed her arms. Arnold shook his head "Nothing, Helga… You just look…. Wow…" he couldn't even find the right words. Her golden locks falling loosely around her waist, her bright blue eyes lined lightly with makeup to bring out the color, her pouted lips glistening in the light. Arnold shook the thoughts from his head "Ready, Helga?" She nodded and they walked out of the door.

**Woah, short… But next one should be longer, and will definitely be coming tomorrow. I really hope you guys rate and review, let me know if I'm worthless and should just drop off the face of the earth :P**

**I promise, the drama is coming! Oh, is the drama coming...**

**I like comments, and reviews (winkwink)**


	4. Chapter 4

**WOW so, sooooo much has happened in my life since… Well, since last night. I'm sure no one really cares to know about it, but I'm going to tell you anyway cause Im super excited! Well, my best friend is a big truck driver, and he asked if I would go on the road with him for six months, and I said YES! So I'm basically up and leaving spur of the moment this Saturday for six months! I'm going to have so much free time to write for you guys, not only that… I'm going to have so much inspiration! I can't wait to update my story from the road! Well, anyway… Here's chapter 4, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold! Craig Bartlett does and his minions.**

_**Chapter 4: I miss you….**_

Helga walked beside Arnold, she was so close to him, every now and again her hand would brush up against his but she would quickly yank it away. Arnold kept trying to make small talk with her but she seemed un-amused, deep in her own thoughts. She was playing over and over in her head how she could tell him, what she would say. It had been eight long painstaking years, she still loved him, but he very obviously didn't share her feelings… But why? She just couldn't understand, and then suddenly she was yanked out of her thoughts.

"Helga…? Are you listening to me?"

"Of course I am football head why would you ask…."

"Um… Because I asked you a question and you wouldn't answer…"

"Oh, sorry Arnold… I guess I was just thinking about something else…" Helga said softly and looked over at him, forcing a weak smile. "Helga, are you okay?" Arnold asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. She jerked herself away and scowled at him "Don't touch me football head, and I'm fine what do you care" she said angrily and walked ahead of him, he quickly caught up to her and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back to look at him; they were at a complete stand-still.

"Helga, why don't you just cut the crap and tell me what your problem is? I just came back and I'm trying to catch up with you, I thought we were passed all the mean and nasty behavior and were finally going to be friends" he said a little annoyed. She had never heard him curse before and she blinked a couple times before looking down, she couldn't bare the look in his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Arnold…. I guess I'm just nervous about you being back… And I don't really know how to deal, ya know?" she said and met his gaze nervously. Arnold gave her a warm smile and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly. "I did miss you, Helga" he said and took her hand; they continued to walk down the street till they came up to Slausens.

When they walked in, they chose a corner table in the back where they were closed away from the rest of the guests. A tiny waisted waitress with a large bust and short blonde hair appeared at their table "Hi, guys, my name is Bernice and I'll be your waitress today" she said with a friendly smile, eyeing Arnold with hearts in her eyes "What can I get for you?" she asked flirtatiously and Arnold turned to look up at her "We need a minute" he said waving her off uninterested and turned to Helga "Do you know what you want?" he asked pushing his menu to the side "Yeah…" she mumbled "Me too…" he said and smiled at her, placing his hand on hers. She eyed his hand for a long moment before pulling it away. He blinked. Just then, Bernice was back with a pen and paper "Ready, guys?" she asked sweetly. Helga turned to her and nodded "I just want an iced mocha latte, no whipped cream and nonfat milk." She turned to Arnold "And for you?" she asked "Um, I'll just have an Americano, hot, black" he said. She nodded and wrote down their orders before sauntering away.

"Helga…." Arnold muttered, blushing slightly

"What, football head?" she glared

"I really did miss you…" he said with a weak smile

"You missed me? YOU missed ME? Well, football head that's kind of hard to believe considering you were running around the jungle with some ditz the entire time you were there. Maybe, just MAYBE if you hadn't stopped replying to my emails, I could believe that you missed me… But no, Arnold… You didn't miss me… you just don't care… you never did…" Helga turned away from him and looked down, sadness filling her eyes. Arnold seemed upset at this assumption "Is that what this is about? Joanna? Is that why you've been mean to me since I got here? You're jealous, Helga…. But why? Why are you so upset that I found someone who cares about me? As my friend, shouldn't you be happy for me?" he asked confused. "And she is not a ditz, Helga, she's gentle and kind and loving, and smart…." He said in defense. Helga was hurt by his kind words about her.

"You found someone who cares about you? Arnold… You're so blind, you always have been… Stop being so naïve and just grow up… I know I did… But you make this so hard for me…"

"What is hard for you, Helga? You can tell me anything…" he said and placed his hand on hers again.

"Why can't you see, Arnold… That I….I…"

"Alright guys, here are your coffees, is there anything else I can get you?" Whew… Saved by the waitress, Helga thought to herself and looked up at her. "Thanks" she said and grabbed her coffee. Arnold grabbed his and sipped at it. They both stared out the window awkwardly. Helga sipped on her coffee, deep in thought, she had to tell him, she had to tell him before some other girl came and swept him off his feet, since every girl they had seen for some reason had been eyeballing him. Arnold had turned into quite the looker over the years, and there was just something about him that most guys didn't seem to have. "What were you going to tell me, Helga?" Arnold decided to break the silence, she shook her head "Nothing….Football head… its not important" she said and sipped her coffee some more. Arnold was getting irritated now, for some reason she always seemed to irritate him, and yet he couldn't get enough of her. "Helga, cut the shit out and tell me what your deal is! You always do this to me! You're about to tell me something important, something big, and then you just blow it off as if it's not important, when it really is" he said and slammed his coffee down on the table. Helga looked at him unfazed.

"I don't need to tell you anything, Arnoldo… Its none of your damn business and frankly you've proved to me that you don't really care…" she said and gulped down her coffee before standing up "Can we go now?" she asked, realizing that this was a pointless endeavor. "Whatever you say, Helga…" Arnold tossed the amount of the bill as well as a tip on the table and they walked out the door. They walked in silence for what it seemed like hours before finally coming up to Helga's house "Well, Arnoldo, I'd say this was fun… But it really was just a big waste of time." Helga said as she reached into her purse, pulling out some money for her part of the bill

"Here you go, for my coffee and part of the tip" she said pushing it into him. Arnold batted her hand away and shook his head "No, Helga it was my treat, I wanted to do something nice for you since we haven't seen each other and all…" he said rubbing the back of his neck. "Whatever you say, football head" Helga said and walked inside, slamming the door in his face.

She headed upstairs and into her private bathroom, which Big Bob had added once they came into a ton of money. Since they had upgraded from beepers to cell phones they were pretty wealthy, considering Bob owned over half the cell phone companies in the whole town; he was even trying to aim for the stars but that meant they would have to move and was something Helga refused to do. So now their little home had been extended, there was an extra room for guests, an office and two added bathroom's for when Olga came home and was fighting with Helga for the bathroom. There was a restroom in each of the rooms as well as a guest bathroom on the bottom floor. You wouldn't think a bathroom was a big deal... But in this family it was.

Helga shut and locked the door to her bathroom and stripped down to her birthday suit, glaring at her reflection in the mirror. Her long, lean abdomen showed traces of self mutilation that she had kicked way back in the day, were fading now. She was toned and defined in her stomach, considering she had been in ballet since she was three. This was something no one would ever know, except for Lila who eventually started taking the same pointe class as her. However, Helga swore that if Lila ever peeped a word of it to anyone she would pound in her highnesses face till there was nothing left. Because of the ballet classes and spending four nights a week with ms. Perfect, Helga and Lila had even grown a secret friendship. Helga wasn't too worried about Lila blurting out her secret because she wasn't really the type to betray someone's trust like that. And as much as Helga refused to admit it, she knew that Lila really was as nice as she made herself out to be.

Helga ran her fingers through her long golden hair and turned her back to the mirror, looking over her shoulder to examine the back of her thighs and rear end. Due to her extreme ballet lessons, there wasn't a trace of cellulite to be found, thank god. Her bum was rather on the large side, as well as her legs due to the muscle mass of her body. Her waist was extremely tiny, measuring just below 23 inches, 25 on a fat day, and her breasts were average sized but extremely perky. There was no doubt people would think she was a regular hottie, if she took her clothes off that is, but she usually kept well covered up. She sighed to herself and turned the water in the shower on as hot as she could stand it and stepped in, leaning her forehead against the wall of the shower. "Stupid… Stupid… Stupid…" she said banging her head "I need to tell him before someone else gets to his stupid football head…" she growled and squirted a bit of shampoo into her hand. She lathered it into her long hair and stuck her head under the water to rinse it out "How can I get him to come to me….? IF I make him fall for me than I don't have to be the one to tell him…" she began to scheme.

Meanwhile…

Arnold sat on his bed, throwing a baseball against the wall and catching it when it bounced back. What had just happened? He tried to do some catching up with an old friend, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, one of his best friends… And all she could do was rag on him for not emailing her back, or for being with… Joanna… But what did she expect? That he would make emailing her his top priority? After all the mean and nasty things she'd done to him as kids, after all the ridicule and bullying he went through because of her? However, it was in the past, and before he had decided to stay with his parents in the jungle they had become close… extremely close… In fact, he had to admit that most of the amazing things he had accomplished before he left wouldn't have happened if Helga hadn't made it possible…

There was that FTI incident… That would have plowed right into the ground if Helga hadn't been secretly helping him, giving inside information and what have you. Then there was the jungle trip, Arnold would have NEVER found his parents if it hadn't been for Helga… And when everyone else had given up the search, there she was, determined to help reunite him with Stella and Miles… No one would have ever done that for him in a million years, not even Gerald… Helga… Helga G. Pataki… She could be so cruel; sometimes her heart was ice cold… And yet, in her eyes there was a kindness no one could ever see. But Arnold saw it, he saw right down to her sweet center of her terribly sour exterior. He was probably the only one who would ever be able to see it… He had to break her down, piece by piece, but how? He was determined to bring out the Helga he knew she really was inside, and he knew she was hiding something, but what?

Arnold was slowly coming to realize that without Helga lurking in the shadows, he'd be nothing, he was the man with the plan and Helga was the woman behind him, making all seem possible. He was nothing without her, just a dumb kid with a dream, but why was she wasting her time on his dreams? "I will figure you out…" he growled, growing irritated he threw the ball at the wall with all his strengths, it came bouncing back at him and almost hit him in the face. He quickly ducked and it hit the wall behind him, falling on the bed beside him. He sighed deeply to himself and flopped down onto his bed, staring up at the sky before he felt his phone vibrate. He pondered for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling it out. There was a text from a number he didn't recognize.

**Unknown: Hey, Arnold?**

**Arnold: Yes? Who is this?**

**Unknown: Its Rhonda, I got ur number from Gerald, since you never txted me…**

**Arnold: Sorry, I got kinda busy… What's up?**

**Arnold saved her number to his phone.**

**Rhonda: Was wondering if u would like to come to a party with me tonight?**

**Arnold: Um… Sure, what time?**

**Rhonda: Great! Pick u up at 8!**

Arnold blinked at his cell phone and shook his head before getting up and grabbing a towel hanging from his bedroom door. He walked downstairs to the bathroom and locked the door behind him; he stripped down and combed his hair before turning the water on and stepping into the shower. Hot water trickled down his body and onto his stomach where a defined six pack was starting to form, he worked out regularly. His arms were pretty bulky but not gross, just enough to see nice muscle definition. He had a large V shape formed where his abdomen and pelvis met and the muscles on his back were also much defined, contorting effortlessly with every move he made. He washed his hair with shampoo and conditioner as well as his body with a raspberry scented soap bar. He quickly stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist before walking out of the bathroom, running straight into grandpa Phil. "Oh, Arnold! You smell like raspberries!" Phil grimaced "Uh, yeah grandpa… That's my soap…" Arnold said with a confused look. "Oh, not again!" Phil's stomach started to rumble and he gripped it, sprinting into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. Arnold blinked slightly and shook his head "Oh grandpa…" he said and headed up to his room.

He stood in front of his closet, scratching his head idly as he decided what to wear. It was a party… And Rhonda, the richest and most popular girl in school was his date… What did one usually wear to these things? He knew she would kill him if he showed up in anything less than perfect. He pulled out a white wife beater and a pair of dark blue jeans, which were a little tighter for comfort. To wear over the wife beater he picked out a black silk button down top, long sleeved and put it on. He had the first three buttons undone to give it a more casual appearance, his defined collarbone was visible. He rolled the sleeves up to his elbow and combed his shaggy hair, letting it air dry.

He wore a pair of black boots, and a black belt to add the final touch. He looked stunning; he even had to take a double check at himself, surprised at how good he could look. By the time he was ready, Rhonda had already shown up to his house, knocking on the door. Grandma had let her in and pointed her in the direction of Arnold's room. "Arnold, may I come in?" Rhonda called from behind the door; Arnold walked over and opened it to reveal a very sexy, very long legged beauty waiting for him on the other side. "Sure, Rhonda I just need to grab a few things" Arnold stepped aside to let her in.

Arnold blinked, looking at her, taking her in. Her hair was tied into a very loose bun, a few ringlet curls loose, forming around her face. She wore a white spaghetti strap tank top, with a pair of extremely tight black skinny jeans, they showed off her round bottom, Arnold couldn't help but to look. No matter how sweet and shy and mature he was, he was still a guy and was still attracted to that sort of thing. Especially being in high school with raging hormones. She had on a pair of red heels, about 3 inches, making her legs look longer and making her appear taller. However she was still not as tall as Arnold, not by much, maybe about one or two inches.

She walked over to Arnold and slid her arms around his neck, embracing him for a moment. "Arnold, you look exquisite" she said and pulled away, looking him up and down. "I absolutely knew you wouldn't disappoint" she said with a smile. He rubbed his arm "Um, thanks… You look good too, Rhonda" he said with a weak smile. He grabbed his wallet and his house keys before they headed down the stairs. "Mom, Dad I'm going out, don't wait up!" he called, but they had enough time to meet him at the door. "Where are you going, Arnold?" his mother asked curiously, noticing the way the two teenagers were dressed. "Oh, Mrs. Shorman, it's so wonderful to see you again!" Rhonda interrupted and hugged her without warning. "Oh…. You too… Rhonda… was it?" she asked trying to remember the young girl. "Oh yes, Rhonda, wellington Lloyd" she said in a sophisticated tone.

"I was in the class with Arnold, when we went into the jungle" she said with a smile. Stella nodded "Oh, yes I remember now, you were the one who was afraid to get sand on your designer shoes" she said not amused with this girls attitude. She didn't quite approve of stuck up behavior, but she was not about to refuse for her son to see this girl either, especially since they had been friends so long. She just kept her mouth shut, letting Arnold pick and choose his friends on his own. Rhonda was taken aback by her remark and faked a smile "Yes, very expensive" she tried to blow it off. "We are having a birthday dinner for me and I thought I'd invite Arnold since he just got back and all" she blatantly lied to his mothers face. Stella crossed her arms, knowing it was bull. "Well, alright, you two have fun and be safe… Don't be back too late and remember to call me if you need anything, anything at all" she said and kissed Arnold on the cheek, and with that they were out the door and in the car, driving to some party.

"You know, Rhonda… You didn't have to lie to my mother… She's not the type to not let me go out like that…" Arnold said, un-amused by Rhonda's lie. She looked over at him and shook her head "Oh come on, Arnold, do you really think I want her to have the image of me as the party animal or something? Puh-lease, that's ridiculous" she said and continued driving "Well, still… You could've told her the truth" he said. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

When they arrived at the party they walked up to the door, Rhonda's arm intertwining with Arnold's, there was no doubt she had the most attractive date there and would definitely earn her extra points with her rich friends. "Rhonda! Darling!" a snooty sounding voice called out as a tall, curly headed girl walked up to them and kissed Rhonda on both her cheeks. She was beautiful, slim, and had light brown skin. Arnold blinked as she noticed him

"Arnold! What a surprise! Back from the jungle I see!" she said and hugged him tightly. "Um… Hi…" Arnold muttered, tilting his head a little to the side, trying to figure out who she was and how she knew him. "You don't remember a little girl with ponytails… Who was obsessed with insects?" she said with a sly smile, and it hit him. "Nadine…?" he questioned. What had happened to her? She looked so different… She was acting… Snobbish, like a rich kid. Well it turns out her father had gotten a job with Rhonda's dad and soon moved up to become his partner in crime. Rhonda's dad had given him the job after he lost his and their family had almost been forced onto the streets; they hit it big and became extremely wealthy, next to Rhonda. Now, now she was like Rhonda… What a shame… He liked her the way she was. However she was no longer that little girl who collected bugs as a hobby.

"Well, you must excuse me, I need to get back to my date, good to see you, Arnold!" she waved and walked off.

Arnold blinked twice and turned to Rhonda "A lot of people have changed since I left…." He said a bit disappointed that Nadine of all people would have turned just as snobby as Rhonda was, if it weren't for Rhonda being the queen bee, Nadine might just had very well taken over as ruler. Arnold shuddered lightly being snapped from his thoughts as Rhonda chatted with him idly about her new outfit, how it was specially made for her by some amazing designer. It was funny, because he was sure he could find that same outfit at any walmart or target or something.

Many of her rich peers would come up and converse with them, and Rhonda would make up some elaborate story of Arnold's grand adventures in the jungle, about almost getting killed by green eyed whatevers and how he barely made it out alive by the skin of his teeth or whatever that phrase was. Arnold was un-amused at how much this girl lied to make herself look better! It wasn't even her adventures she was talking about and she still used it to her advantage, ugh, what a croc. Arnold sat, bored on a rounded couch while Rhonda went on and on about him and her had written to each other every single day and how much he missed him and blah blah blah, which wasn't true at all. Sure Arnold had written to her a couple times, but she had never even once responded, she was far too busy with her oh so charming and exciting life.

Several drinks later, Arnold was feeling good but had decided to take it easy on the liquor. However, Rhonda had other plans… She was already plastered along with all her 'friends' Arnold sighed heavily… This was going to be a loooong night.

Eventually the party died down and drunken teenagers began irresponsibly driving home, a much obliterated Rhonda fumbled around for her keys in her purse as they stood beside her car. Her heels in her right hand as she growled deeply, becoming irritated at her uncooperative purse. "Um… Rhonda… Maybe I should drive…" Arnold reached over and grabbed her purse; he quickly found her keys and helped her into the back of her car.

"I'll drive you home and I'll walk back to the boarding house from there" he said turning back to look at her, strewn sloppily across the back seat.

She looked up at him and shook her head "I can't go home like THIS" she exclaimed quite drunkenly. Arnold blinked. "Can I just stay with you tonight, Arnold?" she pleaded. He sighed, she obviously hadn't thought this through before she decided to go get wasted at some snob party. She would obviously get into deep trouble with her parents if they found out she had been drinking and expected to drive. Arnold was in a dilemma, he didn't really want her to crash at the boarding house, what would his mother say? He was too polite and kind-hearted to deny her pleading though, besides there was an extra room in the boarding house that she could sleep in. Arnold sighed, agitated and agreed to her wishes.

By this time, Arnold was completely sober and driving back to the Sunset Arms. He pulled up and parked, helping Rhonda stumble out of the car. Her hair had fallen completely out of its bun and swayed loosely around her arms. The strap to her tank-top was halfway down her shoulder, and her feet were tattered and blackened from walking barefoot on the dirty ground outside. She struggled to walk so Arnold slung her arm around his shoulder and guided her up the stoop. Her eyes were shut and her head hung against his chest, she was hardly moving and almost completely limp in his arms before.

"Arnold…. I-I…ooooouuuhhhhhhhaaaaa!"

She wretched and leaned forward, a white foamy substance found its way from her mouth to the front of Arnold's stoop. He quickly jumped back but collected himself as he realized none of it made its way to his nice outfit. He groaned in utter annoyance and grabbed her long black hair, pulling it gently out of her face, he rubbed her back and let her finish. She moaned in pain and fell limp into his arms, she was completely drunk, and was not going to make this night any easier for him. He sighed and grabbed her arm; he slipped his other hand around her inner thigh and tossed her over his shoulder with ease. He sighed heavily and as quietly as he could, opened the door to the boarding house and walked inside. He noticed the kitchen light on and winced, he knew he should inform whoever was in there that he was home and inform them that they would have a guest stay over.

On his way to the kitchen he plopped Rhonda down onto the couch, not so gently and made his way through the door. The last person he wanted to see sitting at the table was his mother, sipping on some warm milk and reading a book in her pink fuzzy robe and slippers. Her hair was damp and her face was shiny with her evening moisturizer, her hair held back and out of her face by a matching pink fuzzy head band. She looked up and smiled at her son.

"Evening, son how was the 'birthday dinner?'" she used air quotes and turned back to her novel. Arnold knew his mother wasn't stupid and walked over to the chair beside her, sitting down. "It was a party, mom" he confessed softly, a little guilty for not correcting Rhonda when she had outright lied to his mother. He had just not wanted to embarrass her. Stella smirked slightly, not turning her attention from her book "I know, Arnold" she said plainly "You're not a child anymore and I expect you to just be open with me" she said as her duty as his mother.

She again, wasn't stupid, she knew he would have told her the truth, it was Rhonda that lied. However, he did go along with it and that wasn't very good, but it wasn't a big deal, she knew he was a responsible kid. "I'm sorry mom" he said with a small smile. She looked up to him and blew him a kiss "Well, now that you're home I'm going to head up to bed" she said closing her book and walking over to the sink to wash her glass. "Oh, mom one more thing…. Well… Um…. Rh-" he began to explain that Miss Lloyd would be staying there for the remainder of the evening before.

"What in the name of creation!" a shout was heard from the living room where Rhonda was passed out on the couch. Arnold and Stella looked at each other before heading into the living room. They saw Grandpa Phil scratching his head, looking down at the sleeping raven haired girl. Stella looked at Arnold with a slight glare "Arnold?" she asked waiting for his explanation. He shrugged his shoulders and laughed nervously "she was in no condition to drive home so I offered her the extra room for the night" he said softly.

Stella shook her head too tired to deal with this "good night, Arnold" she said and reached up to kiss him on the cheek before heading off to her room. Arnold looked at his grandpa who was still scratching his head. He turned on his heels and headed towards the kitchen for a midnight snack "crazy kids, I tell ya' crazy kids and their crazy schemes…" he mumbled to himself, disappearing into the darkened kitchen, all that could be seen was the light of the fridge then darkness and Phil walked back through the living room holding a plate of raspberries. "Crazy kids…" he continued mumbling to himself, heading to his room for the night. Arnold chuckled lightly at his grandpa before reaching down to shake Rhonda. Not a stir. He groaned and grabbed her off the couch, slinging her back over his shoulder.

He walked down the hall and to a vacant room where he opened the door and fumbled with one hand to turn down the bed sheets. He set her down onto the bed and tucked her in before heading off to bed himself. What a night this turned out to be. He sighed and opened the door to his room; he shed his clothing and threw them on top of his hamper before crawling into bed, wearing his blue and white plaid boxers. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

He wasn't asleep for long before his eyes fluttered open softly; he was in too much of a daze to fully comprehend what was happening. Rhonda had awoken some time in the night and found her way to his room, and now she was hovering over him, both her hands on either side of his body. Once he realized what was going on, he shot up and backed into the wall, holding his blanket against his exposed chest. Rhonda leaned closer, smiling wickedly, her breath hot on his skin. She reeked of alcohol and a mixture of strawberries, her breathing was deep.

"Rhonda…. Are you okay…?" he asked, slightly afraid of her next move. Her hair was messily pushed to one side, hanging down over her shoulder. She was still wearing her white tank-top, both straps falling down her bony shoulders, but she wasn't wearing pants! What was going on! Arnold was staring into the face of the richest most beautiful girl in school, she was wearing a skimpy tank-top and a pair of boy shorts. Arnold was extremely confused. "Rhonda…" he murmured, trying to back up as much as possible, but she had him trapped. She leaned into him with puckered lips and right before she was about to smack them right into his he grabbed both of her shoulders and pushed her back.

She blinked in confusion, sitting back slightly, placing her hands on the bed between her long legs. "What's wrong, Arnold? You don't find me attractive?" she said wickedly. He shook his head "It's not that… you're drunk and obviously not in your right mind" he said and got out of his bed. The moonlight shined down on him, illuminating each curve and definition of his muscles contracting with every move he made. She licked her lips a little at the sight of his defined body. She also got off his bed and walked towards him, he couldn't help but to glance at her long, slender legs. He shook his head and backed away slightly.

"Come on, Arnold… I know you want me" she snaked as she lunged toward him; she pushed him down onto his red couch that was pulled from the wall. She was on top of him with her legs on either side of him "Rhonda… I-" he was cut off by her pale lips pressing against his. For a moment, one small moment he kissed her back before pushing her away. She tried again to find his lips with hers, but as this happened she just fell limp on top of him, her head against his chest, was she… snoring? Arnold was so confused by her actions. He ever so softly, as not to wake her slipped out from beneath her and lay her down onto the couch. He grabbed a blanket from his closet and placed it over her before getting back into his bed "What a weird girl…" he muttered before passing out.

As the sun shined brightly through the skylight, Rhonda's eyes opened slowly, hissing at the blinding sun. She felt like she had gotten hit by a truck the night before and threw her arm over her eyes, trying to block out the sun. Then it hit her, she wasn't in her room! She shot up and looked around "Oh… my…. God…" she gasped, so that wasn't a dream! She had really spent the night with Arnold! She looked down at her attire, her white tank top and a pair of black boy shorts, and no recollection of the night before. "Oh my god… did we…" she said to herself before quickly getting off the red couch, she looked around in a state of panic, Arnold was nowhere to be found.

She searched the room for something, anything to put on to cover up her exposed spider legs, just then she heard the door knob rattle and she jumped back onto the couch, pulling the blanket over her to cover her underwear. Arnold walked into the room, holding a tray with a stack of pancakes a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal. He smiled at Rhonda when he realized she was awake "Morning sleepy head" he said and placed the tray in front of her "I brought you some breakfast, and your pants" he said. She noticed her pants draped over his arm. She moved the tray to the ground and patted the seat next to her, he sat down. "No thank you, Arnold… I'm not hungry…" she said nervously, gazing into his emerald eyes.

"Did you need to use the shower or anything?" he asked, not wanting her to feel rushed to leave his home, but he kind of didn't want her to stay much longer… Not to be mean… but this whole thing had been quite, odd… "No, I'm okay, Arnold…" she said and looked down. "Well, I'll let you get dressed in private" he said and stood up. "Arnold, wait!" she called before he left the room, he turned back and looked at her "Yes, Rhonda?" he asked. She sighed and looked down at the blanket covering her legs "Did….we….?" she asked hinting down at her almost naked body.

He chuckled a little and shook his head "No, Rhonda… we didn't… but you tried" he said nervously and rubbed his arm. She looked up at him embarrassed "I'm so embarrassed!" she cried and flung herself back onto the couch. Arnold sighed and walked over to her "Don't be, its okay… You were drunk" he said trying to consol her. She sat back up and looked at him "Yeah..." her frown turned into a sly smile "But you know you wanted to" she winked at him before shooing him away. He blinked, confused for a moment before almost sprinting out of his room, he wanted to get out of there before she threw herself at him again.

Soon after she changed she headed down the stairs and made her way into the kitchen where everyone in the boarding house was sitting at breakfast. Arnold turned to look at her and smiled. "Look! Arnold had a little girlfriend spend the night eh heh heh heh" Oskar blurted out inappropriately. "Kokoshka you nitwit! Shut your dang mouth and eat yer' pancakes" Ernie scolded and began digging into his breakfast. Stella never once looked up to meet Rhonda's pleading eyes, and Arnold noticed the tension so thick. He got up and walked Rhonda to the door "Sorry, they're a bit eccentric" he said rubbing the back of his neck. She smiled lightly and shook her head "No, its okay…" she said and leaned into him "Thanks for taking care of me last night, Arnold… It was really sweet of you" she tried to flirt, reaching up, and her breath on his face again. This time she smelled of morning breath and coffee, apparently it was the only thing she had wanted out of the whole breakfast. He wretched a little and placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her away softly "It was no problem, Rhonda, I'll see you at school tomorrow?" he asked, she nodded reluctantly and with that she was gone.

Arnold walked back into the kitchen, completely baffled at every event that had taken place that night and this morning. What was Rhonda trying at? She had never given him the time of day before and now she was throwing herself at him, he had always seen her as just a friend. He wouldn't be caught dead with such a snobby girl, her attitude was horrible and he had to admit, he was always such a sucker for the nice girls like, Joanna, and Lila. Rhonda just wasn't the girl for him, no way in a million years. He ate his breakfast and headed to his room to prepare for his first day of school. He was a senior, holy cow! He couldn't believe it….

**Okay Im soooooo sorry it took me so long to update! I've been on the road for about three days now, and internet service is more expensive than I realized! But I promise I will be updating as often as I can! I hope you guys like this chapter, its only the first of many crazy things Arnold will be going through in this story… Poor boy… And Its only going to be the first day of school!**

**And again, it is my first fan fic, so I know its probably not that great, but go easy on me eh? My next ones will be a lot better, I promise!**

**Rate and review, or I'm not gunna post anymore chapters till you do**

**:P**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello from the road! This is so exciting! And I'm sure none of you care to hear about my adventures on the road but Imma tell yall anyway! Im headed towards San Antonio, then Florida, then probably towards California! Wooo! They have us all over the place! And if I had a penny for every nasty greasy truck driver that's tried to pick me up, I'd be a billionaire! I have to shower at truck stops and crazy stuff like that! It's crazy! But its so much fun and Im able to forget about all my problems and stresses! Anywhoodles, here is chapter 4! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Hey Arnold! I don't own you! I know you wish I did, but I don't so stop crying!**

_**Chapter 4: There's a spark inside us….**_

"That we can all ignite, then all that's dark inside us will flicker into light!" Helga sang loudly to herself as she walked down the street, heading for school. She would've taken the bus but no doubt Arnold would have been on it and she really didn't want to deal with him this morning; she was already in a bad mood as it is. Ballet classes had been canceled the night before and it was one of the only things she ever looked forward to doing. That and singing at the top of her lungs to show tunes, that's right, secretly Helga G. Pataki was obsessed with musicals since she had seen the musical RATS a spin off of the musical CATS. She still remembered that night she was supposed to see wrestlemania but the tickets had been sold out. After fighting with Big Bob that entire day he decided to do something nice for her, seeing a flyer of RATS clutched between her sleeping fingers. He called everyone and pulled tons of strings to get tickets, unaware that what she had really wanted to see was wrestlemainia.

Once there they had joked and laughed about how awful the musical was but secretly she had fallen in love with it. Once she saw the on film production of CATS, that was it, Helga was hooked on Broadway. It was one of her biggest dreams to see every single show before she died. But of course, no one would ever know. Except for maybe Phoebe who knew her every dark secret, they often found themselves singing and dancing in her room to soundtracks of Wicked, Fiddler on the roof, Sound of music and many others. They were actually quite good at that, Helga was obsessed with Disney movies, acting, and singing, she wanted to become a Disney princess one day. Well, if she could ever allow herself to break out of her bitter exterior. She certainly was… Different…

"There's a power in every breath, there's a power in every note, a power that starts within the heart, a power that rises through the throat! And when it sails up though the air, more beautiful than any prayer! This power could right all wrong, and it will always thrill the ear of those that have the power to hear the magic of this song!" she continued to sing out loudly, the song blasting in her ears, she was dancing down the street, singing with such passion, twirling around street signs. All the while, a familiar football headed teenager was walking maybe a yard behind her, he could hear everything and watched her every move. He started walking a little faster to catch up to her, he couldn't believe her passion, her graceful movement, and that… That voice… it was just wow! "All that's dark inside us, that tells us wrong from right, becomes a song inside us to chase away the night!" as she came to her big finish, she did a triple pirouette and landed with her feet in second position and her arms stretched out towards the sky. Arnold chucked slightly, amazed at her talent and finally catching up to her, he tapped her on the shoulder. Helga spun around, horrified to see Arnold standing there, watching her with a half lidded gaze. How much of that had he seen? How long had she been making a fool of herself in front of him while he laughed at her internally? She stuttered slightly, twiddling her thumbs around each other. She couldn't even bring herself into a mean, nasty scowl; she was at a loss for words. Arnold could notice the nervousness in her actions and he smiled warmly "Helga…. You have an amazing voice…" he complimented, blushing slightly. Helga gasped softly, blushing furiously. He HAD heard her! That's what she got for singing and dancing out in the open! She backed away a little, he just stepped closer. And finally. "Criminey football head! Are you stalking me or something!" she blurted out, her embarrassment turning into anger.

"N-no Helga, I decided to walk to school and saw you so I figured we could walk together…. Then I heard you singing… and… well you have the most wonderful voice… and your grace is just…. So…. Exquisite" he blushed and gave her a humble smile. She melted a little at his words and smiled back, still slightly nervous. "Um… well… Thank you, Arnold-o…." she managed to squeak before snapping herself out of it, her nasty demeanor resurfacing "But don't you EVER sneak up on me like that AGAIN! Do you hear me, football head!" she exclaimed, flailing her arms up into the air. He chuckled a little and nodded "Whatever you say, Helga…." He smiled warmly, she smiled back. "Walk you to school?" he asked extending his hand to her, she took it reluctantly "Well I guess, Arnold-o, just don't make it a habit okay?"

"Okay, Helga"

As they neared the school, they both let go of each others hand, both teens unaware of why they had been holding hands in the first place. It seemed so harmless at the time. Helga pulled out her schedule as they walked up to the building; Arnold also pulled his out of his pocket. "I have Pre-calculus, art, philosophy, theatre, and then English 4 with…. Mr. Simmons….?" He shook his head, blinking confusedly at the name written on the paper. Helga grabbed his schedule out of his hand and looked down at it "Mr. Simmons…?" she questioned but quickly lost interest and looked down at her own schedule to compare classes. She hoped with all her heart they had at least one class together. "I've got choir" she began, Arnold smiled and cut her off "Choir?" he asked excited. She growled at him "Yes, Arnold-o, choir! Now shut up!" she scoffed and continued to read. "Dance 3-4, calculus, theatre, and English 4… Wha- Mr. Simmons too!" she was completely confused. "Helga, why is it you have three electives and only two core classes?" he asked scratching his head. She snickered at him "I took a credit by exam and earned myself two outs, instead of taking them I decided to do some electives for extra college credits" she smiled slyly. Arnold was taken aback at this, he was almost certain that Helga of all people would have flunked at least one class. Never in a million years would he have imagined her to be so…. Smart! "Wow, Helga, you must be extremely smart!" he exclaimed, she just rolled her eyes "What, you thought I was dumb or something?" she barked, offended. He shook his head vigorously "No, no, I just thought you lacked…. Interest in this stuff" he defended himself. "Criminey, you don't know ANYTHING about me football head! You really think I would just fool around in school and stay at home with 'Big Bob the blah blah cell phone king!" she ranted "This is ONLY my life we're talking about!" she yelled in his face, he backed off a little "Okay, okay, I'm sorry Helga…" he said apologetically. Her hardened features softened slightly and she nodded "Whatever, football head, I'll see you at lunch" she said and walked into the building. Arnold shook his head and walked in the other direction.

Helga made way to her choir class, if anyone dared question her as to why she had these electives she had the excuse of 'I needed extra credits and they made me take this stupid class' even though she absolutely loved choir and had been in it all four years. By this point, no one really even cared that she had choir, dance and theatre, they were too involved in their own studies and passions to care about someone else. She sat on one of the risers, waiting for the bell to ring, she was early and none of the students had found their way in yet. She reached into her jean pocket and pulled out a small heart shaped locket with her beloved's picture in it. "Oh, Arnold… We have two classes together, how wonderfully fabulous it will be to bond with you, maybe I'll finally be able to win you over with kindness and not mockery and hate" she rambled as students started flooding in. She quickly pocketed her locket and stood up on the riser as the bell rang.

Phoebe was one of the first into the class, Helga wasn't surprised at all, she and Phoebe had been in the same choir class all four years. Phoebe actually had a marvelous voice, they loved singing together, phoebe was the perfect alto to Helga's soprano. Phoebe ran over to Helga in excitement and demanded she hand over her schedule "We have Choir, Theatre and English together" she said with a grin; naturally Phoebe was an excellent actress as well. However, when it came to dancing, she had two left feet so Helga didn't expect to see her in dance class. Helga grinned over at her small Asian friend as the teacher strolled in and passed out binders with sheet music in it. "Good morning class" he said and began his lesson for the day.

Arnold found his way to his first class with the help of Gerald; surprisingly they had all the same classes together so Gerald could show him where everything was. They took their seats in the back and began to idly chat while they waited for the bell. Arnold seemed a bit distracted from their conversation and Gerald waved a hand in front of his face "Helloooo earth to Arnold, are you listening man?" he said slightly irritated. Arnold snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Gerald "Huh? Oh, sorry Gerald… I was just thinking about something…" he said softly. Gerald rose one eyebrow "About what, man?" he asked curiously. "Well… Did you know what Helga could sing? And dance?" Arnold said absentmindedly, obviously very distracted by Helga's beautiful voice ringing in his ears. Gerald shrugged his shoulders uninterested "So what, Arnold? Anyone can sing and dance, doesn't mean they're good at it…" he said. Arnold looked at him and shook his head "No, Gerald she's good… Like REALLY good" he said a little dazed. "So? Why are you so interested in Helga's voice?" he asked, missing the point. Arnold sighed "Because I wonder why she's never done anything with it before" he said slightly confused "Who would want to waste such a good talent" he added, looking over at his best friend. Gerald shrugged his shoulders again "Who cares, man its Helga… Helga G. Pataki, anything would be wasted on her" he said. Arnold was about to protest this statement a little annoyed but just as he opened his mouth to speak the ball rang and the teacher strolled in.

Their first few classes droned on, most of the teachers really only talked about what would be expected of their class, what supplies they needed to get etcetera, etcetera… There was no real assignments, no real homework. The first day was always really just to help get the students acquainted to, some of them their new school, and some returning. Finally, the lunch bell rang and all the angsty teenagers fumbled and stumbled their way around the cafeteria, looking for places to sit, people to meet. However, people like Rhonda usually took this time to go off campus for lunch, cruising around in their expensive cars, spending a ton of money on junk food from stores. Then there were the 'middle class' kids, the people like Helga and Phoebe, Gerald fell into this category because… Well, because he had his eyes set on the petite Asian girl for a long time now, and sure he could be associated with the popular jocks and date a hot cheerleader, be one of the 'in crowd'. But all in all he was content right where he was, following Phoebe around like a sick puppy. Labels and popularity really meant nothing to Gerald; all that really mattered was his happiness, and he was happy. So now their happy threesome had turned into a foursome as a new football headed kid joined the group for lunch.

"Hey guys, can I sit here?" Arnold asked, holding a tray from the cafeteria, looking down at Phoebe, Helga and Gerald. Phoebe giggled slightly as Gerald looked up at his best friend with a look that asked 'Man, are you serious?' Arnold knew that Phoebe and Gerald would gladly sit in his company, who he really worried about was-

"Doi, football head, what makes you think you can't sit with us?" Helga barked at him, noticing he was waiting for her to answer. He chuckled slightly and sat down beside Helga, who seemed to be too preoccupied with her book to care. Phoebe and Gerald were too busy making kissy faces at each other to really make conversation with Helga and Arnold. Oh brother, they just needed to get together already… Eventually the soon to be couple excused themselves and pranced off together towards the unknown, and Arnold just sat in silence eating his food while Helga continued to read. "You haven't touched your lunch, Helga" Arnold pointed to her lunch tray. She sighed in annoyance, never turning away from her book "I'm reading" she said plainly. "What are you reading?" Arnold inquired, she growled lowly and lifted the book slightly, her nose still firmly in the center of the book. He glanced at the title and raised one of his eyebrows before a slight blush tinted his cheeks "Lolita….?" He asked "Isn't that a little….Advanced?" he cleared his throat and Helga shut her book and looked at him.

"Please, Arnold… Don't tell me you're becoming simple minded…" she scoffed, she knew he was one of the smartest kids in school, aside from being completely dense at times. He shook his head "No, Helga… I've read it… I just never pegged you to be the type of girl to read such things…." He said meeting her gaze "I mean its so…. Complex" he tilted his head a little. Helga was offended by his comment "Are you saying I'm a complete dolt, simpleton, who can't appreciate a good work of literature?" she questioned him daringly. He shook his head and smirked slightly "I would hardly call it literature, Helga…" he continued to eat his food. She laughed at his comment and shook her head "What would you call it, Arnold-o?" she pressed. He tried to suppress a blush, not meeting her gaze "I found it rather pornographic, and tabboo" he managed to choke out. She laughed again and shook her head before picking up her tray and book "Arnold, you WOULD be the one to know about 'pornographic'" she said with an eye roll and began to walk away. He quickly got up and ran after her, walking to the trash can where they tossed the remainder of their food away. "Oh come on, Helga don't get mad" he placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face him. She jerked back "I'm not mad football head, the bell is about to ring is all" she said, and just then the bell in fact rang and students began shuffling out of the cafeteria.

"Walk you to class, Helga?" he inquired; she nodded and gave a small smile before they headed down the hall to their next class, theatre… Which they had together… They walked into the classroom glanced around, the seats were not desks, but tables with four seats. Arnold and Helga absentmindedly took the liberty to sit beside each other at one of the tables, chatting idly as Phoebe and Gerald walked in. Immediately they noticed their best friends and ran over to the table, taking the other two seats. More students started to walk into the classroom, occupying the other tables. Arnold noticed as Rhonda walked in, then Lila, Stinky followed soon behind them and then cid after that. Arnold was excited to be in the same classroom as all of his old friends. Right after the bell rang, Harold walked in followed by a tall skinny man with long black shaggy hair and very green eyes. He was pale as the moon, and wore a white button down shirt and a pair of black slacks. All the girls in the class ooed and ahhhed at him as he walked up to the board with a large binder in hand.

"Alright ladies and gents, my name is Mr. Harvey" The very young looking man said. "Take a look to your left" they followed order "Now look to your right" they did "Now look in front of you" everyone had now gotten a glimpse of the people sitting at their table. Few of them had chosen to sit with friends, and the majority had just found an empty seat to sit at, considering most of them didn't really know each other. With the exception of their old fifth grade class, but hardly any of them were still friends, except for maybe Sid and Stinky. "These will be the people you will be interacting with for the rest of the year; all assignments will be with each other with the exception of a few duets and monologues" The class blinked confused, not understanding what he meant. However Helga and phoebe who had taken this class already knew what he was talking about when he mentioned duet or monologue. Helga sighed happily to herself realizing that they were all going to be working together, and she knew Phoebe and Gerald would choose each other for duets, meaning she'd be left with her beloved. That was unless he chose to partner up with someone else… Someone like Li-La. Helga scoffed to herself and crossed her arms, glancing over at little Ms. Perfect with a glare.

"As most of you know, we put on a play every year… And for those of you that don't, well we put on a play every year…. However boys and girls…" he grinned wickedly "This year we are going to put on our very first ever musical" Helga's eyes grew wide with excitement and disappointment all at the same time. She had always wanted to be in a musical, but for fear of being ridiculed by her fellow classmates she never even tried out for the plays they put on. She especially wouldn't try out for a musical! They would laugh for years to come, even though no one really cared what she did with her life. She usually just offered to work on costumes and stuff like that, which always disappointed Mr. Harvey because there was no doubt that she was his shining student. He saw so much potential in her, if only she would overcome her fear of ridicule. "This year's musical will be WICKED" He said and threw his papers up into the air and jumped up in utter excitement. It was a HUGE production that no school had ever attempted to put on before, it was expensive and extravagant. However they had just threw down a LOT of money on it and most of the props were already being sent for, and they wouldn't be putting it on at their school but at the Hillwood Plaza.

Helga's eyes widened even more and she clenched her fists into balls till her knuckles started turning white. She could barely contain her excitement; she jumped up and ran out of the room, down the hall and to the girl's toilet room. Mr. Harvey had an amused look on his face as he watched her sprint out of the classroom, the rest of the students looked confused and chatted amongst themselves about the musical and how Helga just left the room like that. "Everybody simmer down, NOW" Mr. Harvey barked, never in the mood for rowdy students. Everyone stopped their conversations dead in their tracks and stared up at him.

Helga stood at the bathroom sink, staring herself in the mirror, she was trembling and clenching the sides of the sink beneath her fingers. "Okay, Helga, calm down girl… You're Helga… Helga G. Pataki for crying out loud! Don't get all worked up over some dumb musical…. A dumb musical that you've only been obsessed with for years, that you've memorized the soundtrack by heart, that you've always wanted to see, that you've always wanted to perform in!" she banged her head against the mirror, in a complete dilemma. This could very well be the only musical she would ever get to perform in, and it was her favorite one at that! If she tried out, she risked being ridiculed for the rest of the year and till she went off to college. But on the other side, she'd die happy, knowing she had been in her absolute favorite production in the entire universe! She sighed deeply to herself and quickly splashed her face with water before heading back to the classroom.

She opened the door abruptly and everyone turned to look at her, she made her way back to her seat and sat down silently. "Helga…. Are you okay" Arnold whispered to her. She didn't say anything "Yes, Helga… That performance was quite strange back there…" Phoebe said concerned, however knowing why she had ran out of the class like that. Helga nodded "I'm FINE now leave me alone" she growled at them and looked up to the teacher who was smiling slyly at her. She shot him an evil glare and he chuckled, turning his attention back to the class. "Now, I know this is exciting everyone but there are a few rules for the try outs…" he began "Since it's such a big production, the only people allowed to try out for the larger roles will be seniors, considering they have more experience with this class" he said, turning to look Helga dead in the eye. "Everyone else will be able to try out for chorus roles, even if they have never taken this class, however we do ask that they have somewhat experience with dancing" he continued "Now, try outs will be in two weeks, you will come prepared with a song of your choice and a dance, also of your choice and for you seniors who crave the large roles will be required to do a line reading from the script." He looked back at Helga again, most of the class noticed the looks being exchanged between the teacher and Helga and automatically started snickering. Harold stood up, pointing "Oooooohhhhh HELGA has a crush on the teacher bahahahahahah!" he laughed obnoxiously. Gee, he may have changed appearance wise but he was more annoying and immature than ever. Mr. Harvey shot his head to look at Harold and pointed towards the door "out, NOW" he yelled, startling the young teen. "Y-yes sir…" he said and ran out the door with his tail between his legs, so to speak.

"Anyway, where was I… Oh yes… I expect ALL of you to try out, this is going to be huge and there will be talent scouts attending this production… They will be looking for dancers, voices, and actors…." He said with a huge grin as the bell rang, no one budged from their seats. "Class is dismissed, get out of my sight!" he exclaimed. Everyone jumped out of their seats and headed towards the door. "Oh, Helga will you stay behind please?" he said before she exited. Some of the students turned to look at her, snickering, thinking she was going to get in trouble. Arnold turned to look at her as well as Phoebe and Gerald "Good luck…." They bid her farewell and headed off to their next classed. Once the class was vacant, Helga walked reluctantly up to Mr. Harvey's desk; her head slumped down in shame.

"Helga… You do understand that I expect you to try out for this thing right?" he said, walking towards her. She snapped her head up at him and glared "Um…. No?" she said sarcastically, holding her ground. He laughed hysterically and placed his hand on her shoulder, bringing his face down to meet hers. She looked into his very green eyes "Helga…. Cut the act, we both know you're my star student; you're an amazing actress and your voice… Well don't even get me started on that" Helga blushed deeply and she looked away from his entrancing gaze. "Mr. Harvey…. I-I can't…. They'll make my life hell…." She muttered. He chuckled and shook his head, leaning back against his desk "Helga, this could be an excellent career opportunity for you… Forget about your peers, where are they headed in life? They don't even know what they want out of life! But you… you do! And you can get recognized, you can be sent to a college for performing arts, you can make a good living doing something you love!" She turned to look at him again, flattered by his words. He grinned "Besides, I'm going to cast based off the best, whose to say there isn't someone better and you'll just end up with a chorus part" he winked at her. She laughed slightly "That's true…." She replied. He nodded "Yes, and you'll still have the joy of being in a musical, and a chance to get noticed" he tried to reason. "Besides… If you don't try out I'll fail you and you won't be able to graduate," he blackmailed. She gasped and looked up at him, he laughed and pushed her out the door "Now off to class before you get a tardy!" he said and shut the door on her before she had time to protest. "No good flamboyant jerk!" she called through the door and walked away. She was so upset that her teacher was blackmailing her into trying out for this stupid musical! And yet, she was thrilled at the same time, he was pushing her past her comfort zone, and she respected him for that.

Arnold found himself in his last class, English with Mr. Simmons. He walked into the classroom and took his seat, all his old classmates walked in, also taking their seats. He was full of nostalgia. "Hey, Arnold… I didn't get a chance to talk to you in Mr. Harvey's class… I think it's ever so exciting that we will be doing a musical this year and a great one at that!" a familiar voice took a seat beside him. He turned to look into the eyes of Lila, his childhood love. His eyes fell to half mass and he smiled lovingly. "Are you going to try out for a major role?" he asked in a dazed voice. She nodded "Why, yes Arnold… I love musicals oh so much and it would just be ever so amazing to play one of the leads… I have my heart set on Galinda…" she said dreamily, her hands over her chest. "You would make an excellent… Um… What was the name again?" Arnold asked oblivious to any kind of musical. Lila giggled slightly and turned to him "Glinda… You see Arnold, it's the story of the witches of Oz and how they became who they are" she said with a smile. Arnold was interested "Wow, that's great Lila, sounds amazing" he said flirting. She giggled again and nodded "Oh, it is… You should try out for a lead Arnold" she said with a grin. He shook his head "Oh, I couldn't… I can't sing, or dance… and I haven't taken Mr. Harvey's class before" he said trying to get out of the audition. "Yes, but he said seniors were allowed to try out for leading roles, and I could always teach you to dance, Arnold… I am a dancer after all" she said flirtatiously and leaned into him. Arnold grew excited at this, dance lessons with Lila? A chance to get close to her? How could he pass that up "Alright, Lila I'll try out if you teach me a dance to perform" he said with a smile and with that the bell rang and Mr. Simmons walked in.

"Hello class!" he said with his arms outstretched. "What is Mr. Simmons doing teaching high school?" Arnold whispered to Lila, she smiled "Well I'm ever so certain he decided he wanted to go on teaching high school, Arnold" she said with a giggle and turned to look at the teacher. Mr. Simmons noticed Arnold sitting in the back "Arnold! What a pleasant surprise to see you back from the jungle!" he said happily, Arnold smiled "Hi Mr. Simmons, good to see you too" he said with a grin. The door flung open and Helga stormed in, she seemed angry. "Hello, Helga… Can you tell me why you're late?" Mr. Simmons asked and she scoffed "I was kept behind by my last teacher I'll bring you a note" she growled. "Well, okay… please take a seat" he said and pointed toward the desks. The only seat open was the one in between Phoebe and Arnold, so that's where she sat.

Phoebe leaned over towards her "What happened, Helga?" she asked adjusting her glasses. Helga looked towards her and sighed "He's blackmailing me into trying out for the school play…." She said with a mixture of anger and happiness. Phoebe chuckled a little "It's about time you try out for one of our productions, Helga… you're too good not to shine our last year of school" she said with a giggle and turned her attention back to the teacher. He babbled on about supplies and what they would be learning this year and how 'special' he thought each and every one of them were, the only person every paying any attention to him had been Phoebe. Everyone else just talked about the musical, and what they were planning on wearing to school tomorrow, what they were bringing for lunch or where they were going. Finally the bell rang and the school was quickly abandoned, students racing home to prepare for the next day.

Helga walked out of the building with her best friend at her side, making plans for her to come over "Are you going to try out Pheebs?" she asked as they walked towards her house. Phoebe nodded excitedly "Why yes, Helga… Although I don't know how to dance I'm sure I can get a part that doesn't require it" she said with a small smile "I'm sure you'll get the leading roll" she grinned, looking over at a peeved Helga. "I hope not…. How embarrassing…." She said and watched her feet as they walked the rest of the way to her house.

Gerald had made plans to go home with Arnold; they sat on the bus together chatting up a storm. "So, Gerald are you going to try out for the musical?" Arnold asked. Gerald laughed "Heck no, man! Musicals are for girls!" he said shaking his head. Arnold blushed and stared at the seat in front of him. Gerald looked over at him suspiciously "….Are you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Arnold turned to him "Actually, yeah I think I am" he said with a smile, thinking on all the time he would get to spend with Lila. Gerald busted out into laughter "You are one brave man, Arnold" he laughed, holding his gut. Arnold rolled his eyes and shook his head "Lila told me she would help me with a dance and stuff" he said dreamily, Gerald stopped laughing for a moment "Ah, so that's why you want to try out, so you can spend time with Lila" he moved his eyebrows up and down at his football headed friend. Arnold laughed "Yeah…" he said as the bus dropped them off at the front of the boarding house for the evening…

**Woah, so this chapter was unexpected even for me. I was listening to the wicked soundtrack and day dreaming about the cast of hey Arnold as the characters and voila! I decided to throw that into this story as well! I really hope you guys don't mind…. **

**One more thing. I know in the beginning of the story I made Lila appear to be sort of vindictive, however I was watching all 5 seasons of Hey Arnold and came to realize that she's as sweet as honey... So I'm going to make her less... Whoreish... **

**Anyway, rate and review! I hope you guys are enjoying this story!**

**Oh, and whoever can guess the song in the beginning of this chapter gets a cookie!**

**With lots of love from the road!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello to all my readers! I almost died last night! We drove through like four tornadoes! I've always been deathly afraid of tornadoes ever since I was a little girl, and I've never seen one till last night! And then it flooded! The weather sure is crazy!**

**Anyway! I give you chapter 5! Woop woop!**

**Disclaimer: Craig Bartlett = Hey Arnold… Me = Hey Arnold fanfic.**

_**Chapter 6: Making good.**_

Arnold lay in his bed, staring up at his skylight, day dreaming about him and Lila performing in the musical together. Although he had never seen or heard of it before he had an idea of how it would play through. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, shooting a text to Lila.

**Arnold: Hey Lila, wanna get together and work on that dance?**

**Lila: Sure, Arnold. I'll be out of ballet in about an hour or so**

**Arnold: You do ballet?**

**Lila: LOL of course Arnold, gotta go now see you in a few**

Arnold sighed dreamily to himself and began to fantasize about Lila dancing around in a pink tutu on stage beautiful and graceful like a swan. After about an hour and a half passed by Arnold heard his grandpa call to him "Arnold, your friend Lila is here!" Arnold jumped up and ran out his door and down the stairs to meet her. His jaw dropped at the sight of her in a black leotard, pink tights and a pair of black flats. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she smiled brightly at him, melting his heart away. "Hello, Arnold… I talked to my ballet teacher and asked if we could use the studio to practice" she said with a smile "My dad offered to pick you up and give us a ride" she added "Oh, but you can't wear that…." She said referring to his jeans "The shirt is fine, but do you have sweat pants or something stretchy?" she asked and he nodded. "Okay, please go change, Arnold I'll be waiting for you right here" she said and turned her head to look at his parents strolling in from the kitchen.

"Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Shortman, its ever so nice to see you again" Lila said with a friendly smile and a wave. They looked her up and down "Hello, Lila, was it?" Miles asked. They remembered her from the school trip to the jungle. How could they forget such a sweet young woman? "Where are you kids headed off to?" Stella asked referring to her attire "Oh, Arnold and I are going to try out for our school's musical this year and I offered to help him with a song and dance" she said with a giggle. Both his parents snickered a little "Arnold is tryin' out for a musical?" Miles asked trying not to laugh "It's a wonderful production Mr. Shortman" Lila said confused by their laughter. "I'm sure it is, Lila" Stella said with a smile as Arnold came down the stairs dressed in a pair of sweat pants and his tight black t-shirt. "Well, you kids have fun" his parents waved them off and they left the house. They got into Lila's fathers car and he dropped them off at the Hillwood ballet studio "Thanks for the ride, daddy" Lila said and kissed her father on the cheek "I'll call you when we're ready" she said and they got out of the car. Lila carried her nude canvas ballet shoes and a bag with her IPod and a speaker to plug it in to. She opened the door to the studio and walked inside. There were several rooms, each one for a different type of dance, Modern, Ballet, and Jazz "Our room is over here" she said and led him down the hall. They could hear music coming from the other side of the door. "That's funny… I didn't think anyone would still be here" Lila said as she pushed the door open. She smiled, and Arnold blinked confused as a blonde haired figure spun around to face them abruptly; she fell on her behind upon being interrupted in the middle of a fouette.

"Helga…..?" Arnold asked utterly confused. "Hello, Helga I didn't know you would still be here" Lila said and placed her bag down in the corner of the room. Helga stood up, rubbing her bum she was at a loss of words. "What are you doing here football head?" she pressed angrily. "I should be asking you the same question…" he replied gesturing at her outfit. She was wearing the exact same thing as Lila, a black leotard, pink tights only her ballet shoes were black. Her hair unlike Lila's was let down from her bun, falling wavy at her waist. "Helga's in the same ballet class as me" Lila said with a smile "Lila! You said you wouldn't tell!" Helga screeched, her face burning with anger. "Well, I'm ever so sure Arnold would have found out anyway Helga, and I'm ever so certain that he won't tell anyone, right Arnold?" Lila said sweetly. Helga shot him a deathly gaze and he nodded "Um… Right" he said in agreement to this little secret. Lila began to set up her speakers and music "Would you like to join us in Arnold's dance lesson?" Lila asked and Helga began to laugh hysterically "Arnold…. Dance lessons….? Why!" she fell over, laughing and holding her stomach. Lila blinked and tilted her head at Helga's behavior "Well, he wanted to try out for the musical…. And I said I'd teach him a dance" she said. Helga shot up at this statement, excited that she might be interacting with her beloved.

She didn't want to pass up and opportunity to dance with Arnold, and she definitely didn't want to leave him alone with Lila while they got close. Their bodies swaying together, touching sensually as they moved with the music. Helga gagged at the thought of it "Well, I suppose football head is going to need all the help he can get, and I have nothing better to do" she said, agreeing to help them. "But if either of you mention any of this to anyone EVER I will-" Arnold sighed "Pound us, I know Helga…" he said. He was a little disappointed that she would be staying, for he wanted to get close and comfy with Lila, but on the other hand he was excited to be able to get close to Helga too. This could be the first step of her letting him into her mind. And for Helga, could be the first step to her making Arnold fall madly in love with her. "Helga, would you mind helping Arnold stretch while I finish setting up?" Lila asked politely. Helga smirked "Why certainly, Lila" she mocked and grabbed Arnold's hand, leading him over to the barre. This was going to be amusing for Helga.

"Alright, football head… This is how we ballerinas warm up" she said with an evil grin and grabbed the barre with one hand. She did a few plies in first and second position, making Arnold follow in her footsteps. He blushed the entire time while Helga laughed at him. "This is stupid, Helga…." He said in a pleading voice. "Keep going football head" she demanded in laughter. Lila was soon finished setting up and walked over to join them "Alright, ready Arnold?" she asked with a smile and took his hand he nodded and laced his fingers with hers. Helga growled to herself. "Follow my steps, we'll start slow" she said moving from left to right, then back and forth in a few easy steps for him to follow. He did so with ease. She went over the basics before forming them all into one small dance. He did the dance, really well considering he had never done this before. Helga and Lila were both very impressed.

Eventually Helga's attitude softened and she became more into the dance lesson, forgetting the fact that her beloved knew one of her deepest secrets. "Pretty good, Arnold-o, you're a natural" Helga said with a smile "How about some freestyle guys?" she asked and changed the song. Lila nodded in excitement and began to dance to the up beat music. Helga joined her soon after, they twirled around each other, interacted with each other, dancing freely without a care in the world. Arnold wanted to join in with them but was too afraid to knock them over or something. They both motioned for him to join and before he could protest he was yanked into the festivities by both girls. They danced around, laughing and having a good time before Arnold tripped and fell, bringing Helga down with him. Helga grabbed Lila, bringing her down as well; the two girls fell on top of Arnold causing him to have a good bit of air knocked out of him. They all laughed for a long moment before getting back up on their feet, realizing that almost three hours had gone by.

"Oh, I had no idea it was already so late, I'd better have my dad pick me up" Lila said and grabbed her phone "Do you guys want a ride home?" she asked holding the phone up to her ear. "No thanks I think I'm going to stay behind for a little longer" Helga said and walked over to the barre. Arnold was curious and decided to stay behind as well "I'll probably stay and practice with Helga a little more" he said and smiled up at her apologetically. Lila didn't seem too happy about his answer, but what could she do? She couldn't force him to go with her "Well… Okay Arnold… I'll see you tomorrow then…" she said sadly and headed out to the front to wait for her dad. Helga looked over at Arnold "You know you could've gone with her" she said wondering why he had decided to stay. "I know, but I kind of wanted to learn a little more moves…." He said, lying through his teeth. He really just wanted to ask her a million questions as to why she never showed this artistic side of her before. "Well, I guess Arnold…" she said, a small smile forming on her face. She put on some music and walked over to him, the music was slow "Ever ballroom danced before, football head?" she asked with a smirk. He shook his head "No…. I've slow danced before though" he said nervously.

"That's completely different from ballroom dance, this has technique" she said and took his hand, placing it on her waist before sliding it up to his shoulder. She slid her other hand into his "Follow my lead" she said and they began to dance around the room, conversing as they did.

"So why'd you decide to try out for the musical football head?" she asked. He blinked a moment, remembering back on his conversation with Lila. "Well, honestly its because Lila said she was trying out… And I wanted to be in the lead with her…" he said blushing furiously. This hurt Helga's heart deeply and she looked down, Arnold quickly changed the topic of Lila with questions of his own. "Are you going to try out, Helga?" he asked. She met his gaze and nodded "Mr. Harvey said he would fail me if I didn't try out…. So I'm going to try out for the chorus line…" she said as he twirled her, catching her back in his arms. "Why not for a lead? Your voice is fantastic… And you're a really good dancer" he said matter of factly. She blushed a deep crimson red, she wanted to come back with something sarcastic but she was caught. He had seen her dance, he had heard her sing, and now she was in his arms being interrogated as to why she refused to try out for a leading role. "Because… Well… Because, Arnold-o! I just can't!" she snapped, letting go of him and stopping the dance abruptly.

They stood looking at each other for a long moment before he reached out and grabbed her hand, spinning her back into him. Her back was pressed tightly against his chest, and her arms were crossed over her breasts as he held her hands, keeping her in place. "There you go again, Helga… why can't you just open up?" he demanded in her ear and then met her blue gaze. She was trembling, her face was red and hot, she was pressed up against the love of her life and he was demanding her to tell him things about her that she never wanted anyone to know. She struggled a little trying to get out of his grasp but he held her there firmly, she finally gave up and began to sway back and forth. "Come on, Helga! Tell me why!" he started getting frustrated.

"Oh alright, Arnold-o! I'll tell you why!" she barked, he spun her back out and back to him again, placing his hand back on her waist and moving about the room once more. "Well?" he pressed as he twirled her again; he had most definitely taken the lead of this dance, moving Helga around with ease. She was surprised at how quickly he had caught on. She sighed "Because… I have a rep to uphold…" she said trying to weasel her way out of this. "That's not the real reason why….." he pressed further. She chewed on her lower lip, never once meeting his green gaze, she was trying to think up a lie and fast. She couldn't. She was stumped. "Because Arnold-o….. They'll all laugh…" she said almost sadly "I love doing this kind of stuff… But they would make fun of me till the day I die…." She said and looked up at his green orbs, he was sympathetic. "That's not true, Helga… Look at Lila… She loves this stuff too and no one makes fun of her" he said, twirling her again.

"Yeah, that's because people actually like her… The only thing anyone thinks of me is… how much they wish I were dead…" she looked down. "What? Helga… If everyone could see this side of you, I'm sure they would love you!" he said and dipped her. This caused her to blush furiously, her hair was almost touching the ground and she stared up into his eyes nervously. He held her there for a moment, studying her features, she really was beautiful, her white skin, yellow hair, pouty lips… He leaned down slightly, his face just inches from hers "Helga…" he said, his eyelids falling to half mass. She swallowed hard, her cheeks almost burning off, her lips quivering; she leaned up, her eyes starting to close slightly.

Before Arnold did anything drastic he pulled her back up quickly "You really should try out" he said with a small smile, a blush tinting his cheeks. They quickly stopped dancing and both looked down at the ground. Helga rubbed her arm idly and Arnold rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to try out anyway, remember?" she said, trying not to make this moment any more awkward. Was he going to kiss her? No, of course not, that was absurd of her to even think that. Arnold nodded "Um, yeah…" he said softly.

"Helga…?"

"Yes?"

"Do…. Do you think that I could um…"

"Yes, Arnold?"

"Promise not to get mad… But do you think I can hear the song you're thinking of trying out with?"

Helga blushed deeply and played with a lock of hair. She wanted to scowl at him and knock him to the ground, screaming and mumbling on about how stupid it was of him to even ask such a question. But she couldn't… She couldn't bring herself to yell at such pleading eyes "I-I don't have a song picked out…" she lied, she had thought about what song she was going to sing all day and she practiced her heart out for two hours after school before ballet. Arnold reached out and grabbed her hand "I think you do, Helga…" he said with a sweet smile that melted away her cold heart. "Oh, alright football head… But you can't tell anyone about this or I'll beat your face in, clear?" she scowled and ripped her hand away from him.

"I promise, Helga. If I utter so much as a word you can send me straight to my grave" he said and crossed his hand over his heart. "Yeah, I'll hold you too it football head" Helga said and walked over to her IPod, putting on the instrumental track of her song of choice. The music played through the beginning, Helga blushed a deep shade of red before clearing her throat. Arnold watched intently.

_"D-did that really just happen…?"_ she stuttered a little in the beginning but Arnold motioned for her to keep going excitedly. _"H-have I actually understood…"_ she continued to stutter for a while before starting to get into it. _"This weird quirk I've tried to suppress or hide is a talent that could help me meet the wizard… If I make good… So I'll make good!"_ her eyes fluttered closed and she continued with passion. _"Once I meet the wizard, once I've proved my worth… Then I meet the wizard what I've waited for since… Well, since birth. And with all his wizard wisdom, by my looks he won't be blinded! Do you think the wizard is dumb? Or like munchkins so small minded, no! He'll say to me I know who you truly are, a girl unto whom I can rely! And that's how we'll begin the wizard and I!"_ She continued to sing, growing extremely into it, getting lost in the song. She began to act out the words and dance around the room. Arnold watched in amazement at the blonde girl singing and dancing before him. He couldn't believe that Helga had such a 'sophisticated' side to her, Helga… Helga G. Pataki… The girl who had ridiculed and bullied him all throughout their childhood years. He wondered why she had never shown this side of her before, and he was determined to find out. When the song came to its end, Arnold clapped his hands with a toothy grin on his face, he was awestruck "That… was… FANTASTIC Helga! You're definitely going to get a leading role!" Arnold ran over to her. She shook her head vigorously and scowled "No! I told you football head! I'm only trying out for the chorus!" she shouted, her eyebrows furrowed. Arnold wouldn't have this "Helga, you HAVE to try out for a main role, this could be a big opportunity for you!" he held his ground; he wouldn't give up until he saw Helga shine on that stage.

"Criminey, _Arnold-o!_ what're you, my teacher or something? If I had a quarter for everyone who talked about opportunity and junk like that, I'd have fifty cents!" she crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to back down. Arnold finally gave up and just shook his head "Whatever you say, Helga…." He said and grabbed his shoes, putting them back on his feet. "It's getting late, can I walk you home?" he asked. Helga nodded and grabbed her bag, and with that they headed out the door.

They walked down the dark street in silence, neither one of them knowing what to say, both deep in thought. Helga was desperately trying to figure out a way to hook her beloved beneath her poisonous claws, and Arnold was trying to figure out why this amazing girl tried to hide herself away from the world. Why was he trying so hard? It's not like it mattered, she was going to do what she wanted to do no matter what, and it wasn't his life. Sure they were friends… Well, sort of… Sometimes he questioned their friendship. There were times where he just wanted to completely push her out of his life, and right when he was about to she would go and do something amazing only to reel him back in. He so desperately wanted to understand the mind that was Helga G. Pataki.

When they had reached the stoop of Helga's house, he handed her the bag that he had so politely offered to carry for her. "Thanks, Arnold… And remember… To your grave" she reminded with a stern look. He chuckled slightly and nodded "Right, to my grave" he said with a smile and bid her farewell. With that he was walking off into the darkened streets. Helga ran upstairs to her bedroom and flopped down onto her bed "Helga, you're so stupid!" she scolded herself "How could you let your guard down like that? Now he's going to think you're some weirdo freak!" she growled and pushed her nose into her pillow, letting out a loud, frustrated scream. After her evening ramblings, and emotional roller coaster ride, Helga jumped in the shower and started her evening ritual, getting everything prepared for school in the morning. She walked back to her bed and flopped down, day dreaming about her beloved before her eyes began to get heavy and she slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. Dreaming of her and Arnold...

**Okay, I know this chapter was extremely short, and I meant to make it longer, but I only have a few more minutes of internet service before it cuts out on me and I have to pay for another hour! But I promise next chapter will be longer! I really hope you guys enjoy, please rate and review and I promise the drama is coming!**

**Also, I realize that they only have a few classes each, they should have seven. But when I was a young whipper snapper in high school I had blocked schedule. We'd have 4 classes one day and the other 4 the next day. I'm not sure if thats what I'm deciding to do, or if I'm just too lazy to add the other classes... But remember, its just a fanfic so I don't think every last detail needs to be perfect...**

**Till next chapter!**

**Gut Nacht!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! This is going to be my last chapter for a while unless I get a bunch of reviews! Because I don't really see the need to pay for internet if my story isn't even being read :'( Mwuahahahahahahah guilt trip guilt trip guilt trip! :)**

**So I got caught in another flood, I LOVE the rain! And I am now on my way to Alabama, then Louisiana, then Georgia, then Florida! Woop! Yay me! I get to lay on the beach all day and tan my ghostly white complexion. I'm so excited! Here we are guys! Chapter 7!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Hey Arnold… Yeah, what a shame…**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7: Gloomy Sunday<strong>_

Arnold awoke to the sound of his alarm calling his name; he sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. He was feeling extra groggy this morning, maybe it was because of the weather. The sound of pouring rain tap, tap, tapping at his window was soothing and he just wanted to go back to sleep for a million years. However it was time for him to get ready for school. He never really liked when it rained like this, he was more of a sunny skies type of boy and his mood often reflected off the weather. Groaning to himself dramatically, the young man reluctantly dragged himself out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. He was half asleep and grumpy. He found the bathroom and growled lowly when the door wouldn't open. He could hear the sound of Oskar singing loudly from the other side "Mr. Kokoshka, will you be out any time soon? I need to get ready for school" he called loudly and banged on the door. "Eh, no, Arnold I'm going to be a while! Eh heh heh heh!" he called back selfishly. Arnold sighed heavily and turned to walk into the kitchen, he was annoyed and could tell today was going to be awful.

"Morning grandpa…." He said as he sluggishly entered into the kitchen where grandpa Phil was reading the morning paper. "Morning, shortman you look like you got hit by a train" his grandpa said not looking up from his newspaper. Arnold sat down beside him and face planted right on to the table "I feel like I got hit by a train" he mumbled as grandpa slid a cup of coffee over in his direction. "Well, drink up shortman, you gotta be awake for school today" Arnold grabbed the cup of coffee and downed it as fast as he could. "Is that no good Kokoshka still in the dang shower?" Grandpa asked, annoyed with this particular boarder. Arnold nodded, groaning, waiting till the bathroom was free. They really did need to get another bathroom… "Welp, I have a date with a fresh bowl of chili. Be careful today, Arnold… They're expecting a flash flood" he said and grabbed a bowl from the fridge, heading out of the kitchen. "Great" Arnold mumbled to himself and found his way back to the bathroom, where Oskar was just coming out. "It's all yours, Arnold good luck" he said and walked into his room. Arnold rolled his eyes and walked into the bathroom.

He stepped into the shower and turned the water on, the freezing droplets hit his skin like a thousand tiny needles and Arnold gasped loudly. "Mr. Kokoshka!" he yelped, stupid man! Using up all the hot water! This was definitely not Arnold's morning. He showered as quickly as possible, the freezing cold water helping to wake him up. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He glanced down at the watch around his wrist; he was not on schedule and knew he was going to miss the bus for sure. He rushed up to his room and threw on a pair of black jeans and a tight, white, V-neck t-shirt. He threw on a pair of black and white converse and grabbed an umbrella, along with a baggy black jacket. He made his way downstairs, running out the boarding house in a hurry.

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><p>"No one mourns the wicked! No one cries they're dead and gone!" Helga sang to herself as she washed her body. She loved the rain, every time the clouds threatened to burst open you would always find Helga in a chipper mood. She finished up with her shower and walked into her bedroom, making her way towards the closet. She flipped through her clothes before deciding on a black tank-top with a heartagram logo and the words H.I.M written in big pink letters. She pulled on a pair of navy blue skinny jeans and pink and black converse. She didn't have time to blow dry her hair so she just tied it back into a loose ponytail. She didn't have time to put on makeup either, but she had a natural beauty that didn't need to be tainted with makeup anyway. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before shrugging at her image and running out the door. She too had missed the bus, and the thought of bringing an umbrella had completely slipped her mind. She didn't have time to go back and get one so she would just have to get to school that much faster. About less than half way there she had realized how cold it was, and she had forgotten her jacket. "Criminey It's freezing!" she exclaimed to herself, folding her arms over her chest to try and keep warm.<p>

She sprinted around the corner of 49th street and SMACK, she found herself on the ground, her butt landing right in a puddle. "Great!" she yelped, looking up to a hand in her face. She took it and stood up, by now she was completely drenched. "Thanks a lot football head! Look at me! I'm completely soaked!" she yelled. Arnold was not in the mood to deal with her this morning. "Maybe you should've brought an umbrella then" He said plainly "And where is your jacket, Helga?" Arnold asked a little concerned. "I forgot it" she said, her teeth chattering slightly. He shook his head and sighed, putting his umbrella over her head and removing his jacket "Take mine." He said and placed it over her shoulders. She smiled gratefully and pulled it closed, snuggling deep within the warmth of the jacket. She inhaled deeply, sighing dreamily, it smelled like his deodorant and body spray. It was intoxicating. "Thanks, Arnold" she said as they began to walk. "No problem, Helga" he said softly, not in his usual chipper mood.

"You okay, football head?" she asked and looked over at him. He nodded "yeah, I just get a little depressed when it rains…" he said softly, watching his feet as they walked. Helga was saddened by his words and promised herself she would do anything in her power to brighten his mood this day. It would be her daily mission. She couldn't stand to see her beloved down in the dumps. _'Whatever you do, don't be mean to him, Helga…'_ she thought to herself as she walked. When they made it to school she gave him back his sweater and they parted ways. Helga walked to her first period class and took her spot on the riser, watching as Phoebe ran in, a look of excitement plastered across her face. She practically tackled Helga off the top riser "Criminey, Phoebe! Where's the fire!" Helga exclaimed, holding her best friend in her arms. "Oh, Helga! I'm so happy!" Phoebe yelped with glee. Helga blinked a few times, waiting for an explanation "Well?" she pushed, staring down at her best friend. "Gerald asked me out!" she giggled, jumping for joy! Helga tried to act excited, but she had already known it was going to happen; it was all a matter of when. "Bout time, Pheebs! When did he propose?" she teased. Phoebe blushed and smiled "This morning, on the bus!" she squealed. Helga pursed her eyebrows together "Doesn't seem very… romantic if you ask me" she said matter of factly. Phoebe's excitement turned a little sad at her friends words "It was, actually… Some nasty sophomore was trying to get fresh with me and Gerald pretty much pulverized him before asking me to be his girl" she blushed deeply. Helga smiled warmly and patted her on the head as the bell rang and the teacher strolled in.

"Good morning everyone!" he said and began his lesson for the day.

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><p>Arnold sat at his desk, twirling a pencil between his fingers, he was trying his hardest not to let the weather get the best of him but he was unsuccessful. Gerald who was sitting beside him watched his friend for a few long moments before speaking "So my man, I got myself a new girl" He couldn't wait any longer to spill the good news. Arnold didn't look up from his pencil and gave a small sigh, trying to be happy for his best friend "That's great, Gerald" he said in a monotone voice. Gerald raised his eyebrow "You could at least pretend to be happy for me, man" he said a little discouraged. Arnold looked up to meet his friend's disgruntled gaze "Sorry, Gerald… I really am happy for you it's just not a good day for me" he said a little sadly. "You… are having a bad day, man? I thought I'd never live to see the day… The world must be coming to an end" Gerald said sympathetically. Arnold just nodded and looked back down at his pencil, twirling it once more. Gerald opened up his notebook and began to write in it, it was probably best if he just let Arnold be.<p>

Students poured into the classroom, chatting about their weekend plans and so on. A raven haired girl took her seat behind Arnold, tapping his shoulder lightly. Arnold turned to look into the very black eyes of Rhonda "Hey, Rhonda" he said, that same monotone voice. "I just wanted to tell you I had a lot of fun the other day… We should totally do it again sometime" she said and gave a small wink. Arnold was too under the weather to blush, or grow nervous "Sure, sounds good…" He said, only telling her what she wanted to hear. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair "I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me today…." She asked leaning closer to him. He shook his head. He really didn't want to be in the company of Ms. Prissy rich girl on such a depressing day. He really just wanted to crawl into a hole and sleep forever "I don't think I can, I have other plans…." He lied through his teeth. He figured if she could lie to absolutely everyone all the time, it wouldn't be too bad to give her a taste of her own medicine. She just let out a loud humph and turned her nose up, not looking at him for the rest of the class.

The first few classes were a drag, and Arnold found himself sitting at a lunch table by himself, his forehead planted firmly on the table, not moving for a second. "Hey football- I mean… Arnold…" He heard a voice and raised his head to meet Helga's blue orbs "Hey, Helga" he said and dropped his head back down onto the table "Can I sit here?" she asked placing her tray onto the table he just nodded and she sat down. "Yeesh, football head, you look worse than an elephants butt…" she said nicely, yet a hint of humor in her voice, trying to lift his spirits.

"Thanks, Helga" was all he could manage. She sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder, this caused his head to snap back up and meet her blue eyes. "Oh come on football head, the weather can't be that bad!" she said and ruffled his hair. He gave her a small crooked smile and she laughed "There's that goofy smile, I was wondering if I'd ever see it again" she said and pushed her tray in front of him. "Eat up, you need the carbs… Good for energy" she said with a grin, but he politely declined. Why was she being so nice to him? She was always sort of bitter towards him; he wasn't sure if he could handle her emotional roller coaster right now, but for some reason she was really the only person who could lift his spirit right now.

"Where are Phoebe and Gerald?" Arnold asked, looking around the cafeteria. Helga snickered a little to herself "I dunno, they decided to ditch me to go play doctor somewhere" she shrugged. Her comment caused Arnold's cheeks to flush and he chuckled slightly. His smile and his laugh caused her heart to flutter. 'Oh… My love….' Was all she could think. Helga was a little upset that Phoebe and Gerald were always together, however this meant she would be left alone with Arnold more often, biding her all the more time to try and work her magic.

All she had to do was make sure that Lila and Rhonda didn't get in her way… She had seen the way they looked at him, and it filled her with a burning rage. She knew Rhonda only wanted to get with him because he would help her out with her social status, not that she needed the help. And she knew Lila only liked him because… Well because he reminded her of his 'ever so' interesting and funny cousin, Arnie. After he had dumped Lila way back in junior year, she never had really moved on, and now Arnold was back and they had become almost identical to each other. Aside from the fact that Arnie was extremely dull and boring…. Helga really couldn't see what little Ms. Perfect saw in him… But Arnold was Helga's man… And she would make sure no other girl would come between them. Especially not after Joanna.

Helga and Arnold sat through lunch, she was doing everything in her power to make him smile, and for the most part it was working. "So football head, I figured maybe we could work on some more of that dance after school?" Helga asked, hoping to god he would say yes. Arnold was a little taken aback at her question; she had never asked him to hang out before "Oh…. Sorry, Helga… But I made plans with Lila tonight… I hope you understand…" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, waiting for her outburst. Helga's deep blue eyes turned red with fury, she was about to stand up and push his stupid football head right into her tray of food. However, she remembered what a depressed mood he had been in all day and with all the will power she may have had forced herself to just look away. She was hurt at the fact he was going on a date with the girl he 'like liked' since the fourth grade, and now she was returning his feelings. Even if they were false. She choked back poisonous words and instead nodded "Maybe another day…" she said almost sadly and stood up, just then the bell rang and they walked side by side to their next class.

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><p>"Good afternoon ladies and germs!" a flamboyant voice that was Mr. Harvey skipped through the door happily. Just like Helga, he loved this weather and the dreary, bleak days inspired his assignments. "Today we're going to work on a little something called pantomime! Isn't that exciting!" he screeched as he wrote the word on the board. "And for those of you who don't know what it is, well you're about to find out!" The class stared at him confused, more than half of them not knowing what in the heck he was talking about. Helga smirked to herself; this was going to be an easy A for her. "I'm going to pick two students each, give you a scenario, and you go from there… You come up with a scene, and act it out! Simple as that!" he said with a huge grin. "You'll have today and tomorrow to work on your scene, but remember it is pantomime, so don't rehearse too much! You will all perform on Monday" he said and assigned the groups.<p>

Phoebe was paired with Gerald, which made them happy. Harold was paired with Rhonda, Cid was paired with Sheena, Lila with Stinky, and Arnold with Helga. Along with a few other students paired up with each other. Mr. Harvey assigned their scenarios and let them begin rehearsal. "Alright, Helga… I've never done this before so you're going to have to help me… a lot…" Arnold said nervously as Helga laughed "This is easy, trust me" she said, deeply excited that she got to act this scene out with her beloved. It gave her a chance to be close to him, and tell him how much she loved him without actually 'meaning' it. "All you got to do is pretend that you're dying, say a few mushy things to each other and that's it! We just have to make it believable!" she said with a smile. He nodded and got down onto the floor, Helga leaning over him with a sad look on her face. "I'll start and you just go off of me, okay?" she said and squeezed his hand. He nodded in agreement and closed his eyes, pretending he was lying on a hospital bed. Helga forced a tear out of her eye and with her free hand caressed his cheek. It was so smooth and warm, her heart melted.

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><p><em>"My love… please don't leave me now… I can't go on living without you… A life without you is a meaningless effort… I would die before I let you slip away!" she cried and flung herself across his chest. His eyes slowly opened, and his hands drifted up her back, finding her soft blonde hair, he stroked it softly. He couldn't help but to breathe in the scent of her shampoo, watermelon… Oh was her smell intoxicating… He quickly snapped out of his thought and back to their scene. "My angel…" he muttered, trying to sound as sick as possible. She snapped her head back up, tears in her eyes. Wow, she was really convincing! They were sure to get an A on their assignment so long as he didn't screw it all up. "Oh, Darling! You're awake!" she exclaimed and cupped both his cheeks with her hands, gazing deeply into his emerald orbs. He couldn't help but to blush, his hands finding the back of hers, caressing them softly. "My angel, why do you weep?" he asked with a weak smile. She leaned up, her gaze never leaving his. "Because I can not bear to think of a life without you!" she cried. "You must be strong…. Um… Uh… Betty! Think of the children!" he coughed violently.<em>

Helga paused a moment, wiping away her fake tears "Betty…?" she asked, trying to hold back laughter. Arnold blushed "Sorry, it's all I could think of!" he said defensively. "Whatever, Arnold-o" she laughed and got back into character, forcing out more tears.

_"Oh, Robert! If you die then I must die too!" she said dramatically, falling back over him, crying hysterically. "You must be strong, Betty! If not for me, then for the kids!" he coughed again before bursting out into a fit of laughter._

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><p>Helga sat back up and glared at him "Oh, come on football head! You want to get a passing grade don't you?" she barked and he sat up, still laughing. He shook his head and smiled "I'm sure we'll do just fine, <em>Betty<em>" he teased. Helga smiled a little and in that moment the loud roaring of thunder filled the room and the lights went black. The squeals of students filled the air and everyone stopped working on their assignments, trying to scramble back to their desks.

"Alright, everyone! Calm down! Its just a little power surge, the lights should be coming back on any minute now" Mr. Harvey's voice could be heard from the darkness. Arnold stood up, hands fumbling around to search for Helga to help her up. He heard a loud _"EEEP!"_ when he grabbed her, noticing it wasn't her hand but a soft mass beneath his fingers covered in fabric. He blushed deeply before jerking his hand away "Sorry!" he exclaimed, moving his hand to find hers, he gently pulled her up. "Sure, _football_ head! Like you didn't mean to grope me!" she cried angrily, her face was such a bright shade of red it almost illuminated the darkened room. "I didn't mean to, Helga! I'm sorry!" Arnold defended himself, embarrassed that he had just grabbed her round mounds. They found their way back to their desk, bumping into a few things on the way. Helga dug inside her purse, pulling out a small flashlight. She shined it in Arnolds face and he blocked the light with his hand.

It had been what seemed like hours, and the power still hadn't come back on. Helga was growing impatient, and Mr. Harvey had left a few moments earlier to try and find out what was going on from a teacher down the hall. Helga growled to herself, frustrated and bored from sitting and waiting in the dark. She stood up and walked towards the door, Phoebe, Gerald and Arnold got up and followed her "Where are you going Helga?" Phoebe asked frantic "To find out what the heck is going on!" Helga snapped and opened the door. "I must implore you to stay, Helga… Mr. Harvey hasn't come back and I'm sure it's against the rules for you to leave the room" Phoebe tried to reason. "He never said not to leave" Helga retorted and began to walk out of the room before Arnold stopped her. "Wait, I'll go with you" he said plainly. Helga nodded "Suit yourself" she said and they walked out of the room.

"Where is it we're going?" Arnold asked as they walked down the hall. Helga flashed the light in his eyes, blinding him for a moment "Stop doing that, Helga!" he growled, she just laughed and shined the light forward "There's a power box in the basement, I'm sure if I could just get to it I can figure out how to turn the power back on" she said with a smirk. Arnold shook his head "That's a stupid idea…" he said bluntly, and she scoffed "Well if its such a stupid idea, Arnold-o then why don't you go back to the room and leave me alone?" she replied and rolled her eyes. He shook his head "Because… Because… Well I don't know, I guess I just feel like coming along" he said, not really knowing why he was with her in the first place "That's a stupid reason but okay" she said and they kept walking.

After minutes of walking they found their way to a door with a sign that read 'basement, school staff only' Helga smirked to herself and tried opening it. "It's locked…" Arnold said, she rolled her eyes and pulled a bobby pin out of her hair. "Not for long" she said bending it straight and sticking it into the key hole. After a few moments of giggling it, the door swung open and she smiled over at him slyly "Ladies first, football head" she motioned. He grumbled and began down the dark stairway. About halfway down the stairs a gust of wind blew the door shut and they both twisted their heads to look behind them. Helga ran back up the stairs and giggled the handle "Great! It's locked!" she yelped. Arnold met her up at the top and tried the door as well "Good going, Helga!" he said grumpily and rammed his shoulder into the door, trying to force it open. "Shut up, Arnold-o! it's not my fault the door slammed shut!" she said, turning to jog down the stairs. She shined her flashlight around the room; looking for the box to the power, when she found it she opened it and flipped the switch up and down. "No use, the power is completely dead…" she mumbled. Arnold groaned again "Great!" he growled, fumbling around in his pockets. "What?" she asked, watching him curiously "I left my phone in the classroom! Helga, let me see your phone" he said holding his hand out to her. She reached into her pockets before sighing angrily "I think it's in my purse…."

"Great, where's your purse…?"

"In Mr. Harvey's class…"

The two teenagers looked at each other, both upset; they were trapped in a dark basement with no way of calling anyone to tell them where they were…. The only way they would be able to get out was if the janitor decided he needed to go into the basement for some reason. Little did they know, the Janitor was out sick for the day…

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><p><strong>Uh oh! Arnold and Helga are trapped in the basement in the middle of a thunderstorm! I bet you all wanna know what's gunna happen with our star crossed lovers doncha?<strong>

**Well, I'll tell you whats gunna happen!**

**_If_ you rate and review ;D**

**Welp, till next time! Ciao!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello all! Um, this is usually where I tell you all of my fabulous adventures… But alas, I'm starting to get home sick… I miss my boyfriend and stuff…. I wont see him for a month! Le-sigh…**

**I must've re-written this chapter like a hundred times, but I'm still not satisfied with it… I guess that's what a horrid case of writers block will do to you! I hope you all like it more than I do.**

**Also, I'm going to be working on two other fanfics, so it would be much appreciated if you go check them out**

**Oh well! Here's chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Hey Arnold, k?**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 8: It's always raining in my mind…<strong>_

"Criminey football head! We're going to die!" Helga paced back and forth, growing extremely worried by their current situation. "We're not going to die, Helga… I'm sure once they notice we've been gone for a while they'll come looking for us…" Arnold said, trying to calm a nervous Helga. "I didn't tell Phoebe and Gerald where we were going! They'll never find us!" she yelped, running back up to the locked door. She continued to jiggle the handle and ram her shoulder into the door till she fell to the floor in pain "Ow!" she cried, holding her throbbing shoulder. Arnold ran up to her and grabbed her off the floor, dragging her back down the stairs "You need to calm down, Helga. We're going to be fine, they will find us" Arnold said calmly. She looked into his eyes and shook her head "Even if they don't find us till Monday, we'll be trapped in here all weekend! It's only Friday!" she said worriedly. Arnold sat down and patted the spot beside him; she took a seat next to him. "Its okay, Helga… its just one weekend, its not too bad" he said trying to lighten up the mood. She smiled softly at his warm gesture and nodded. Even if they had to stay in the dark basement till Monday, she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather be trapped with.

"Its freezing in here…." She said beginning to rub her bare shoulders. "I'd offer you my jacket, but it's upstairs along with my phone…" he said softly. He slid his muscular arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his warmth. This caused her to blush uncontrollably, but she didn't fight it. She was in the arms of her beloved, he was sharing his warmth with her, and she was in heaven. She shivered slightly and leaned into his hard chest, slipping her arm around his waist, hoping he wouldn't pull away. He slid his free hand up her arm and rubbed it softly, trying to cause some friction to help keep her arms warm. She sighed dreamily and closed her eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder. It wasn't long before Arnold could hear the sound of heavy breathing "Helga?" he murmured. Nothing. "Helga…?" he shook her softly. Still nothing.

Arnold chuckled lightly to himself; he never thought he would be trapped in a basement with Helga G. Pataki asleep in his arms. It made him think of Joanna and that night they slept together in a cold damp cave with the sound of falling water echoing off the walls. It was cold, and damp, and he could hear the sound of pouring rain tapping on the basement window…. Wait… Window! Arnold perked his head up and turned to see a small rectangular window, it was just above the ground but was too small for him to fit through. "Helga! Wake up! There's a window!" he grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. She woke up and looked at him in a state of panic "Criminey football head! What!" she exclaimed and turned to look in the direction he was pointing at. She noticed the small window and jumped up, running over to it. "It's way too small to fit through…" Helga said, looking over her shoulder at Arnold. He nodded "Yeah, but I think you're small enough to fit" he hinted and she shook her head "Heck no, football head!" she growled at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I guess we'll be stuck in here all weekend then…" he replied shrugging his shoulders. Just then they could hear the faint sound of the bell ringing and see the shadowed silhouettes of student's feet scampering across the lawn. They both ran to the window and started banging on it, yelling out for help but their screams were muffled by the sound of rain and shouting students.

They watched as the last student ran down the street and disappeared in the distance "It's no use, Arnold… We're stuck…" Helga sighed and banged her back against the wall, sliding down with her knees pressed up against her chest. Arnold leaned down besides her, placing his hand under her chin, he lifted it up so he could look into her eyes "Helga…" he murmured and leaned closer. She blushed deeply in the darkened room "Yes, Arnold?" she inquired dreamily and leaned in closer. "Go through the window, Helga… You can get help" he almost pleaded and she sighed. "Fine, you win…" she said and stood up. She tried to pry the window open but it wouldn't budge "It's stuck!" she cried angrily and looked over at him. He tried forcing it open. Nothing. "Great!" he shouted in frustration as Helga looked around the room "Hold on, I have an idea" she said and grabbed a loose pipe from the wall. Arnold rolled his eyes "Your plans haven't exactly been the greatest…." He said, watching her closely as she walked up to the window.

"Shut up, football head" she said and swung the pipe with all her might, hitting the window and shattering it. "Great, Helga! You've just defaced school property!" he growled and she rolled her eyes "Well, what else do you expect me to do? Sit in here all weekend with a dumb football head!" she was growing angry at all his comments. "I don't want to be stuck in here with you either, Helga! I shouldn't have even come with you…" he said and crossed his arms. "Then you stay over on the other side of the room and leave me alone!" she yelled, gripping the pipe in her hands. "Fine!" he shouted and turned his back to her. She broke away any excess glass from the window with the lead pipe and tossed it onto the ground. "I'll bring back help, football head… Not like you deserve it" she said and pulled herself up to the ledge where the window sat. She squeezed her upper body through the window with ease, grabbing onto the wet blades of grass to help pull her through. She couldn't manage to pull her rear through the window though, and she couldn't bring herself back into the basement.

"Um… Arnold?"

"What do you want, Helga?"

"Um… I think I'm stuck…"

Arnold turned around and ran over to the window almost ramming right into her back end. His eyes roamed her bottom and her thighs and he found his tongue sliding across his bottom lip, he caught himself in the act and scolded himself internally. "Can you pull yourself back inside?" he asked. She scoffed loudly "I just told you, football head, I'm stuck!" she barked angrily, trying her hardest to pull herself back into the dark basement. "Just hold on, Helga, I'll get you out" he said and quickly gripped her waist. She yelped at his hands on her bottom "Sorry!" he called and tried to push her out onto the drenched grass with no luck. "I'm going to pull you back in" he warned and grabbed her ankles, pulling himself back with all his strength. After a few minutes of yanking on her ankles she finally slipped out from the window, but a stray shard of glass cut into her skin causing her to cry out in pain. It ripped a large piece of fabric from her as well as a chunk of flesh; she was on the floor writhing in pain. "Helga! Are you okay?" Arnold grabbed the flashlight, shining it down on her. He gasped as he witnessed a sticky crimson fluid seeping out from beneath her fingers "Do I look okay to you!" she managed to gasp out in pain. Arnold kneeled down besides her, trying to pry her hands away from her abdomen. "Let me see it, Helga!" he ordered, and after a few moments of fighting she finally gave in and moved her hands.

Arnold looked beneath her torn shirt and winced at a large shard of glass sticking out from her bloodied figure. "This looks really bad…" he said worriedly and stood up, flashing the light around the room "There has to be a first aid kit in here somewhere…" he walked around the room. He fumbled around the shelves, finding a few bottles of water, some rubbing alcohol and aha! A first aid kit! He opened it up to find a long strip of gauze rolled into a ball, some cotton swabs, aspirin, Neosporin, and band aids. This had to have been the sorriest first aid kit he'd ever opened. Back in San Lorenzo, the first aid kits had supplies to fix wounds worse than this one. However, living in the jungle for all those years taught him how to improvise.

He ran over to Helga who was losing a fair amount of blood, but nothing too serious "Okay Helga this is going to hurt really bad…" he said and lifted her tank-top up just above her bust. He opened up one of the bottles of water and poured it onto her abdomen, letting the clean liquid wash away the blood. He chewed on his lower lip as he opened the bottle of alcohol and poured it onto the cut, she screamed out in pain and almost jerked up, but he had to pin her to the ground. "Helga, I need you to relax…" he said as he took a deep breath. Once the blood had been washed away he could get a good look at the shard of glass sticking out from her abs, he breathed in slight relief when he realized it was not as bad as it looked before now that the blood was gone. He poured some alcohol onto his hands to try and clean them as best as he could before pulling the glass from her stomach. She winced in utter pain, trying to remain calm. He poured some more water and alcohol onto her wound and used her torn up shirt to wipe it dry before applying the Neosporin on it and wrapping the gauze around her tiny waist. "Its not the best job ever, but it should hold you till we can get out of here" he said and helped her up.

Arnold held the aspirin up to her mouth. She took the small white pills and downed the other bottle of water before Arnold found a warmer spot to sit her down. Her wound was a small gash at best, he figured that it was the blood that freaked her out, and the fact that they were alone in a dark basement possibly trapped till Monday. Arnold shined the flashlight around the room, finding a few blankets in a nearby closet "Does this guy live down here or something?" he asked himself before grabbing them and walking over to where Helga sat. "You doing alright?" he asked, shining the light in her eyes. She raised her hand "Don't do that!" she scolded, and he chuckled slightly "See, doesn't feel too good does it?" he asked and placed one of the blankets on the ground. He sat down on it and patted the spot next to him, Helga sat beside him. With the other blanket he covered them and opened his arms out to Helga, if she wanted to share the warmth again. Helga's eyes brightened and she leaned into him, their backs against the wall. "Thanks" Helga said softly "For what?" Arnold asked curiously. "For helping me" she said with a small smile "You're welcome, Helga" Arnold replied softly and they soon found themselves lying on the blanket now, drifting to sleep. There was no use in over exerting themselves, after all… They had the whole weekend to try and get themselves out. Or so they thought…

Helga woke up a few hours later; it was now around nine o' clock "Arnold…" she whispered. "Mmm… Joanna…." She heard him grumble in his sleep and hold her tighter. She growled lowly to herself and her eyes were in slits "_ARNOLD_!" she yelled in his ear, startling him awake. "What!" he shouted annoyed "Um, Arnold I'm **_wet_**!" she cried. He blinked at this for a moment, not quite understanding what she was trying to say. "Um…. I-I'm… sorry?" he inquired confused. Helga rolled her eyes "Not like THAT football head, I'm literally **_wet_**!" she screamed and he flashed the light on the ground. The blanket was soaked in water; he quickly shined the light on the window to see water pouring in from the outside. "Oh…no…." he muttered, remembering back to the morning 'be careful, Arnold, they're expecting a flash flood' Grandpa Phil's voice rang in his ears.

"Helga we **_have_** to find a way out, _**now**_" he jumped up, pulling her up with him. The rain was pouring into the room faster and faster and after only about half an hour it was up to their knees. "Arnold, I'm scared" Helga grabbed his arm tightly, burring her face into his shoulder. He blushed a little at her sudden gestures and just wrapped an arm around her "It's okay, Helga… I'll get us out of here" he said, trying to take control on their current situation. He knew Helga was in a fragile state of mind right now, and after all she had done for him in the past, he felt like he owed it to her to at least get her out of there safely. "We are so going to die…" Helga said a little sarcastic, trying to mask her fear. She didn't want Arnold thinking she was weak. He turned to look at her "Helga, I will protect you" he said seriously, causing her to turn beet red. She just nodded and followed him up the stairs where he began ramming the door once more "It's no use, football head! It can only be unlocked from the outside!" she cried, but he was determined. "No, Helga. We **_ARE_** getting out of here" he said and headed back down the stairs.

The water was up to his knees by now, and it continued to just pour in through the window. He would give it about another hour before it was up to their waists, he looked down at the watch on his wrist, it read ten thirty pm. He frantically searched around for something he could pry the door open with and then he saw it. A beautiful crowbar hanging up on the wall full of other useless tools "Perfect" he said and dragged himself through the water towards the crowbar. He grabbed it off the wall and headed back up the stairs "Stand back" he warned Helga before jamming the crowbar into the doorframe, prizing it open. Helga stared dreamily '_oh my love… never before have I seen such passion in your emerald pools_' she thought to herself as the door swung open and Arnold fell onto the ground on the other side. Helga rushed over to him, helping him up "Look whose defacing school property now, eh _football head_?" she chuckled as he stood to face her. "It was either that or we become drowned rats" he said grabbing her arm and making his way to the school stairs. "What are you doing, football head? The front doors are that way!" she said and pointed in the other direction. Arnold ignored her and dragged her up the stairs to their theatre class "I want to see if the door is open so we can get our stuff" he said and jiggled the door handle. It was locked. "You going to break down this door too?" she said impatiently tapping her foot.

Arnold sighed; he supposed he'd have to wait till Monday to claim his things. They made their way back down the stairs and to the front doors of the school, they were also locked. "Criminey! They don't want us to leave!" Helga exclaimed hopelessly and threw her hands up into the air. Even if the front doors hadn't been locked, they were still stuck, considering the levels of water had risen drastically, engulfing almost half the door by now. "We need to get to a phone" Arnold advised and grabbed her hand, yanking her along with him. He hadn't necessarily been gentle with the wounded girl, but he really just wanted to make sure he got her home safely. As much as he would hate to admit, he had a deep caring for this girl for unknown reasons. They made their way to the schools office and Arnold jumped over the front desk, grabbing the phone and holding it up to his ear. He pressed down on the receiver hook "The phone line is dead…" he mumbled, not hearing a dial tone. "Oh, great! We're going to starve and die! If we don't drown first!" Helga moaned, growing more worried with each passing hour, her stomach rumbling loudly.

"Are you hungry?"

"Doi, _Arnold-o_! I haven't eaten all day!"

Arnold took her hand and led her down the hall, finding his locker. He was starting to get used to the feeling of her fingers laced between his, he kind of liked it. He blushed at the thought. "What could you possibly need from your locker?" she inquired curiously as he put in the combination. He just smiled and grabbed his black backpack, opening up the side pocket he pulled out a couple Mr. fudgy bars. "Here, Helga" he said handing them to her "Thanks… But aren't you hungry?" she asked softly. "No" he replied plainly. She smiled softly, blushing a little. She chomped down on the Mr. Fudgy bar, finishing it in a couple bites, would be enough to tide her over for a few more hours. Arnold looked down at his feet, noticing the water was seeping through the cracks in the doors.

Freezing water was pouring through the basement door; it had been completely flooded by now, good thing they had gotten out when they did. This situation was bad… No one had come looking for them, they were stuck in a rapidly flooding school, no food, no phones, Helga was hurt and it was barely Friday. The young teens were growing ever hopeless. "Come on, Helga… We need to get to higher ground" he said and held his hand out to her. She took it without hesitation and they made their way back up the stairs, they made it up to the third floor and tried each classroom door in each hallway. Finally they found an unlocked door; one of the teachers must've forgotten to lock it with all the commotion about. They shut the door behind them and made their way to a back corner of the classroom, sitting down and cuddling to try and keep warm.

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><p>"Whaddya mean <strong><em>YOU CANT FIND HER<em>**!" a very angry Big Bob Pataki shouted over the phone. "You better find her or I'll sue the pants off every last one of you! **_WHERE_ **was the teacher when she disappeared!" He continued to rage as Phoebe nuzzled her face into Gerald's chest. They had grown very worried for Helga and Arnold once they didn't return by the end of the class. They had even stayed an extra few moments after school, searching for them, calling them, they had even gone so far as to go to the principal who was more concerned with the school falling apart than to find out where their lost friends were. Phoebe and Gerald stopped by Arnold's house first to see if maybe they knew where the two teens were. A very worried Stella immediately alerted the authorities and almost went so far as to go out and search for her son, herself. However Miles knew the flood was dangerous and highly advised against it, Stella hesitantly agreed. Phoebe planned on going to Helga's home to inform Mr. And Mrs. Pataki of the news when Gerald insisted he go with her. Stella and Miles took the Packard to drop the two off, only to be stuck at the Pataki's house because of the flood.

They were all now sitting on the couch, waiting by the phone. Big Bob, Miriam who had been able to sober up just long enough to worry for her baby… Stella, Miles, Phoebe and Gerald. "Now you tell me again, little lady… What exactly happened?" Bib Bob pointed his finger at Phoebe, who was in tears, Gerald holding her and patting her back. "The lights went out and Helga decided to leave the room and find out what was going on… Arnold went with her, and they never came back!" she cried and pushed her face back into Gerald's chest. "So you mean to tell me that my _Olga_ is off traipsing about with that _Albert_ kid in this weather!" he roared, causing everyone to jump slightly. Stella stood up, furious "I'm sure that your daughters name is **Helga**, and it's **Arnold**, NOT _Albert_!" she seethed with anger, clenching her fists at her side. "And I'm sure they're in trouble, not '_traipsing_' around together!" she added, before being pulled back down onto the couch by a worried Miles.

Stella and Miles knew exactly who Helga G. Pataki was, how in this universe could they ever forget the yellow haired angel that so kindly reunited them with their son? Deep in their hearts they would always have a place for that kind little nine year old with the pigtails and one eyebrow. So they were just as worried for her as they were for their own son. "Yeah, yeah, sorry lady!" Bib Bob grumbled, sitting back down in his seat….

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><p>Blue irises fluttered open tiredly, finding their way to a pale face sleeping soundly. The bright flash of lightning illuminated the room causing his pale flesh to shimmer gloriously. Helga smiled softly to herself, brushing a stray lock of hair that had fallen off his face behind his ear. He stirred slightly when she had inched her way out of his arms and walked over to the window, staring out into the rain tapping hard against the glass. "Oh my love… Here we are trapped in the pouring rain… slumbering soundly in each others arms… How I've longed for the day when I could sleep beside you, and feed on your warmth…" she recited, holding her hands over her heart. She heard him stir again and whisper something "<em>Helga<em>…."

"What, football head! I wasn't saying anythi-" she began to scold, soon realizing he was still asleep. "Wha-" she mumbled to herself and silently crept back over to his snoozing body. She knelt down besides him, listening intently. "_Helga_…." He moaned again, her face illuminating with glee. Was he dreaming of her? If so, what about? She was excited at the same time worried that it may be bad, for the look on his face seemed uneasy. His eyes were clenched, his body tense and finally he awoke in a state of panic, feeling around frantically. "_Helga!_" He called out worriedly as his body shot up "I'm right here football head, don't worry" she said softly, grabbing his shaking hand. He sighed and squeezed her small fingers softly "I thought you…" he murmured, she leaned in questioningly. "You thought I what?" she asked and tilted her head a little. He shook his head realizing it was all a horrible dream "Nothing, it was just a dream" he said with a sigh and leaned against the wall. "What did you dream?" she pressed, trapping him. He couldn't blow it off now, she already knew too much.

"The third floor was starting to flood, and we found our way to the roof outside… I was trying to find a way to get you out safe… And we started to fight…" he gripped her hand tighter, they were fighting? That was a surprise… "You got angry and said some pretty nasty stuff to me…. And then you tripped and fell over the edge of the roof, I tried to get over to you as fast as I could and save you, but you just drifted out of sight and then I woke up…" he said sadly and grabbed her, pulling her close "I've never known such fear, except for maybe when I thought my parents were…." He held back tears and Helga gripped him tightly. Arnold was worried for her life? This was heaven! "It's okay, Arnold… It was just a dream" she comforted as he softly placed a kiss on the top of her head "I know… It just felt so real" he replied and stroked her yellow hair. The feeling of his lips against her head was ecstasy; she had to force herself not to melt away in his arms.

"Gosh, Arnold… I had no idea you cared so much…" she said softly and he lifted her chin up. "Helga… How could I not care about the girl who has helped me accomplish so much?" he said with a smile, she was touched by his words. "You're amazing, and one of my very best friends" he said warmly. This hit her heart like a thousand flaming daggers with poisonous ends. He had said it… _Friend_… Was all she was to him, but she should have known… Maybe if she would have been kinder to him he would have fallen in love with her instead of holding a place in his heart for her just as a friend. "Th-Thanks Arnold… You've become one of my b-best f-friends too…" she said trying to hold back the tears threatening to burst out of her blue eyes. Arnold was confused "Why are you crying?" he asked in concern. Helga shook her head and turned away from him, wiping the salty tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm not crying, _football_ head… I have an eyelash in my eye" she tried to convince him, but he was not having it. She stood up and ran over to the window trying desperately to find a way out, but she was stuck with him. He made his way over to her and grabbed her arms, twisting her around to look her dead in the eye; the flashes of lightening brightening up the room. Her eyes were wet and soggy from the tears she could no longer fight. She looked miserable, and he had no idea why.

"What's _wrong_, Helga!" he questioned loudly, shaking her violently. She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. "I**_ CAN'T_** tell you!" she cried, trying to fight his grip, but he was to strong for her own good. "_Why_ not!" he was growing impatient, tightening his grip on her shoulders. "Because! Because I'm just a friend! My feelings mean _nothing_!" she said and fell to the ground, her face in her hands. Arnold sat down next to her, looking at her sadly "What does being my friend have to do with anything?" he inquired. She just looked at him with a hint of disgust prancing about her features. "Criminey, Arnold-o! How _dense_ could you possibly be?" she grabbed his shoulder, shaking him vigorously. "Helga, what are you talking about!" he cried impatiently, wanting desperately to know what she was hiding. She just sighed, already regretting what she was about to do. She pushed him down onto the cold tile and straddled him, pinning him to the ground with his hands at his sides. She clenched her eyes shut tight and roughly smashed her wanting lips against his, he was confused. His eyes grew wide with confusion and a hint of fear, he struggled beneath her for a brief moment before his eyes flitted closed in defeat.

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><p>Her tongue slid across his bottom lip, begging for access into his warm, humid mouth. He parted his lips slightly, reluctantly granting her wish and her tongue shot inside, meeting and wrestling with his. After a few moments, Arnold gave into his temptations and welcomed her passion with his own. Hands trailed up to his hair and gripped his golden locks desperately, her other hand resting on his soft cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, getting caught up in the 'heat of the moment'. The one thing he liked most about Helga was no doubt her passion… He gripped her thigh with one of his hands, the other still place on the curve of her back, lifted her up and placed her with her back pinned against the ground. He was now pressed against her, kissing her with a passion she'd never dreamed of seeing in her life. One wrong move led her to cry out in pain. This caused him to come back down to earth and he jumped back almost instantly "I'm sorry Helga!" he exclaimed in embarrassment.<p>

"No! It's okay, Arnold!" she said and made her way back to him, trying to push herself onto him again but he grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back. "Helga, _stop_!" he cried desperately trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. He was so confused! What was she doing? Better yet, what was **_HE_** doing! He'd just had a steamy make-out session with _Helga G. Pataki_! And he liked it! What was this world coming to? "What's wrong Arnold?" she asked anxiously, she was trying to make sense of things herself. "Helga, what is going on with you! One minute you're calling me football head and the next minute you have me pinned to the ground! I don't understand… I'm confused!" he placed the palm of his hand against his forehead, trying to think.

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><p><em><strong>[5:30 a.m.]<strong>_ read the digital watch sitting on a small wrist, Phoebe was drifting in and out of sleep, Gerald was already passed out and snoring. Big Bob sat with his cell phone clutched in his hands, Miriam had eventually decided to make herself a 'smoothie' and passed out, and Stella and Miles sat holding each other hoping that their children were safe. Finally the phone in Bob's hand began to ring "Did you find her!" were the first words out of his mouth. "Yes, Mr. Pataki, I think we may have an idea of where they are" The voice said over the phone in assurance. Everyone perked up upon seeing the gleam in Bob's eyes "They think they might know where they are" he nodded to everyone, sighs of relief came from their mouths and smiles lit up their faces.

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><p>"Criminey, <em>Football head<em>! What is there to understand! Don't you get it! I _**LOVE**_ you! **_LOVE YOU_**!" she said and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him violently. His eyes widened and his pupils dilated, he was stunned. All the memories he had of that rainy night atop the FTi roof suddenly came flooding back and he realized in that moment that what had happened that day was in fact not a '_heat of the moment_' type of thing. He fell silent, trying to collect his thoughts, he didn't know what or how to feel about this bit of information that she had just threw at him like a million heavy cinder blocks. "Arnold, _say_ something!" she yelped completely shocked at herself, she was pumped full of adrenaline and fear.

"Helga I- I need time to think!"

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><p>"I hear voices in here!"<p>

Just then the door burst open and the two teenagers snapped their head to see men dressed in black holding flashlights, helmets atop their heads to help shield them from the rain. It was moments before they realized they were a rescue crew and they jumped up, running over to them. They were so excited that they were saved! Finally saved! The men threw two blankets over their shoulders and helped them outside and into their water resistant truck. They rode in the back seat in silence… Not once daring to look at the other. "We're going to take you kids back to the station, your parents and friends are waiting for you there" one man said looking back at them through his rear view mirror. Neither of them replied, just stared out their own window, both deep in thought…

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><p><strong>Aaaaand this is where I end this chapter! Gosh, I had such a hard time ending it! So if it seems a little weird and thrown around I really apologize…. Anyway I hope you enjoy chapter 8! And I'll have the next one up soon as possible!<strong>

**So I re-read my first chapter, and oh my god was it awful! I guess when I had uploaded onto the site it got all jumbled around and stuff, it looks like a four year old wrote it! I promise that's not how I write, but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it AND I need to use the time I have on the internet to update other chapters for you all :) just thought I might throw that in there so you guys don't think I'm an illiterate fool **

**Remember, rate and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Insert something witty here….**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><em><strong>[Chapter 9: I'm not that girl….]<strong>_

"Oh Helga! I'm so glad you're safe!" The tiny Asian girl tackled her to the ground in a tight hug. "_Ow_!" Helga cried out in pain, it seemed that everyone didn't want to be gentle with her tonight. "I'm sorry Helga! I didn't mean to be so rough!" Phoebe snapped back up but Helga only shook her head "No, Pheebs it's okay I just got, a little banged up back there" she said lifting her shirt to reveal the gauze wrapped around her waist. Phoebe gasped at the blood soaking through the brown material and the others came running towards her. "What in the criminey happened to you girl!" Big Bob cried in worry, Stella and Miles ran over with Arnold. "Here, honey let me take a look at that" Miles helped her to her feet and unwrapped the bloodied gauze. He examined the gash and grimaced slightly at the sign of a small infection brewing. "Did you get stabbed by a shard of glass?" he asked, noticing the depth and consistency of the wound, she nodded. "Well, it doesn't look too bad, it seems to have gone through pretty deep but missed any of your organs, thankfully… But you definitely need stitches and some antibiotics to treat that infection… I suggest you get to a hospital pretty quickly" he informed, it was a pretty big deal but wasn't life threatening unless she let it go completely untreated.

"Well, the rain's seemed to let up a little, I'll be more than happy to get you an ambulance over there" One of the officers who was standing in the doorway called to them. Helga nodded "Phoebe, will you ride with me?" she asked softly, Phoebe nodded "Of course I will" she hugged her best friend. "Well, I'll meet you there" Gerald said not wanting to leave his girlfriend's side, and Arnold wanted to go because he needed to talk to Helga…. "Mom, dad I'm going to go with Gerald and Phoebe if that's okay" he turned to them; they both gave warm smiles and nodded. The two boys piled into Big Bob's truck and Phoebe and Helga piled into the back of an ambulance, finding themselves at the hospital in no time. They sat in the waiting room for what it seemed like hours, because of the flood there were a bunch of accidents, people getting hurt, and even a few fatalities that they had to deal with before they could see Helga.

"Pataki, Helga?" a nurse called from the doorway, everyone stood up and followed her over to the small framed woman and she chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry, but I can only allow you and two others to come back" she said looking at Helga to make her choice. "Phoebe…" she began but Phoebe had cut her off "I'm going in with you" she said sternly, refusing to leave her best friends side. Helga didn't necessarily want Bob to come in, but it was pointless for tall hair boy to go in… And she would rather that glass had sever some main arteries, and caused her to bleed out than to have to deal with the awkwardness of being around Arnold, especially after what had happened back there. "I have to go take care of the bill, but I'm sure you'll be fine without me girl, good luck" Big Bob said as he walked away, towards the front desk, they all looked to Gerald who waved his hands back and forth. "Don't look at me; I hate the sight of blood… I'll just stay here and make sure Mr. Pataki doesn't kill anyone" he said as they all turned their attention to see a raging Big Bob Pataki screaming at a very frightened receptionist.

"Well, guess you're stuck with me, Helga" Arnold said with the biggest smile he could possibly muster. The nurse smiled at the teenagers and led them back into the ER, she had Helga change into a white hospital gown and lay down on the bed while she inserted an IV and took her vitals. She inspected the wound, cleaned it and bandaged it with white gauze while they waited for the Dr. to come in and stitch her up. "Dr. Helter will be in with you shortly" she said as she wrote on her notepad and left the room.

They all sat in silence, Helga twirling her thumbs around each other while Phoebe and Arnold took their seats in the two chairs. The silence was uncomfortable for Arnold and Helga, and Phoebe was just completely oblivious. "Helga…. Can we talk…?" Arnold finally managed to force himself to say. Phoebe took that as her cue to leave "Um, Helga, I'm going to go get something from the vending machine, would any of you like something?" she asked. Helga nodded "Surprise me, Pheebs"

"No, thank you… I'm good" Arnold said softly, not turning his gaze from Helga. Phoebe nodded and slipped out the door, leaving the two alone. There it was again, that silence… it was horrifying and filled her to the brim with gut wrenching anxiety. "Criminey, can you just say something already football head!" she finally burst, causing him to jump slightly. "Sorry, Helga! It's just that… you said you _love_ me… and this is not the first time… and thats a pretty strong word..." he couldn't figure out what to say, in fact he couldn't even figure out his own feelings. All he knew was that when it came to this particular girl, he found himself being overly protective of her. Whenever he was away from her he found himself in a darker place. She was his tormentor, and yet if anything ever happened to her he wouldn't know what to do with himself. She was a Devil and an Angel all at the same time, she upset him, and she made him happy. However, he couldn't decipher what it all meant; after all he was only seventeen!

"Arnold, cut the crap… You know I've loved you since we were in pre-k… Unless you're just that naïve…" she said plainly, there was no need for hiding things anymore, it was out in the open, for the second time. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to collect his feelings "Helga… I'm sorry, but I think it would be better if we were just friends… is that okay?" he asked nervously, waiting for the emotional outburst. She just laughed cynically to herself and shook her head "I've gone for fourteen years, just being your friend, Arnold… I'm sure I can handle eighty more…" she said in a melancholy voice, hinting that she would love him till the day she died. "Helga… I-"

"Hello, Ms. Pataki?" a voice was heard as a tall man walked in the door. He was gorgeous, pale skin, light blue eyes, dark hair, and teeth that were white as pearls. He must've only been about twenty-five tops. "Yes?" she asked dreamily, staring at him. Arnold showed a hint of jealousy beneath his glorious features. "Dr. Helter wont be joining us today, he was a little caught up in surgery… But my name is Dante, and I'm well equipped to stitch you up and have you on your way if you don't mind" he said flashing her a flirty smile. She nodded "I trust you, stitch away" she said and lay back on her hospital bed. He gracefully made his way over to her, putting on some gloves and grabbing his sterilized tools. "I'm going to numb you up a bit before we begin, okay?" he said and injected a small amount of fluid directly into the IV. Within minutes she was completely numb and he began stitching her up. "Boy, this sure is a nasty cut you got here, how'd this happen?" he asked curiously, meeting her gaze.

"We got trapped in our school's basement…" She said turning her gaze to Arnold, who seemed to be burning with jealousy at the fact that Helga and this older man were flirting right after the conversation they JUST had about Helga being in love with him! "Who's we?" Dante asked curiously but then noticed Helga's gaze turn to Arnold, who was sitting with his arms crossed over his chest. "Ah, I see… Is that your boyfriend?" he asked with a small smirk, trying to figure out if Helga was single or not. Her heart dropped into her stomach and she blushed deeply, averting her gaze from the two men "Actually, we're just friends… Isn't that right Arnold-o" she spat her words out venomously and Arnold just glared. "That's right, Helga" he said and sort of turned his nose up, looking away angrily.

Had he really made the right decision here? Did he really only think of her as a friend? How could he not? This was the girl who had bullied him for years, called him football head, poured paint on him, and tried to sabotage all his dates with other girls… However, when she let that nice side of her show, he had to admit she was sweet as honey. He was between a rock and a hard place here, and he just couldn't figure out his own feelings… Not to mention, Helga was an intense person… _Really_ intense… And he was laid back and calm, and liked peace and quiet… He knew that being with Helga would probably be a big headache… But then, on the other hand, he sort of liked her fiery passion, and it would definitely spice things up! Argh! She was so **_frustrating_**! No girl had ever made him think this hard… It was annoying and exciting all at the same time…

"Well, beautiful you're all done!" Dante said sweetly, his compliment caused Helga to blush and look away "I didn't feel a thing!" she said with her own sweet tone. Arnold scoffed and stood up "How long does she have to stay here?" he asked. Dante checked her vitals once more and bandaged her up "Well, there's really not much more we can do so I'd say you're just about done. I just need to give you these prescriptions that Dr. Helter wrote out for you. One is for pain, it's a little stronger than aspirin, and the other is a cream to put on it, to help with minor infection" he said with a smile, handing her the papers. "And you should be on your way, be safe tonight… The streets are still a bit bad out there" he said as Helga grabbed her things and walked towards the door. "Thanks" she said with a small smile. Her smile was too beautiful for words, and this was too good an opportunity to pass up. "Helga, if it's not too forward of me, I would like to ask you out to dinner and a movie, my treat?" he asked with a sly smile. This was perfect! She could go out on a couple dates with this guy, show him off a little, and brag all about him to everyone at school! This would surely make Arnold jealous! At least she had hope.

She stole a quick glance at Arnold who was fuming and she snickered to herself "I'd love to" she said with a small smile, he handed her a pen and she wrote his number down on his hand before heading out the door. Arnold walked her down to the bathroom so she could change her clothes; he was silent the entire time. Helga seemed amused by his sudden tinge of jealousy, snickering to herself all the while. She changed her clothes in the women's bathroom and they met Phoebe, Gerald and Big Bob back at the waiting room. It was already passed ten in the morning and they were all very tired, considering most of them had been up over 24 hours now… Bob dropped Gerald off at Phoebe's and then took Arnold to the boarding house "Well see'ya, Alfred…" Bob saluted as Arnold stepped out of the car "Thanks, Mr. Pataki…" he said and turned to Helga, he rubbed the back of his neck nervously "Um… Helga?"

"Yes, Arnold?"

"We can still be friends… Right?"

"Y-yeah… I'd rather have you in my life as a friend then not at all…"

And with that they drove down the road and out of sight.

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><p>The weather had let up within the next day, and by the time Arnold finally decided to wake up, most of the water had already dried up. The events of the day before had played over and over again in his head, he was trying to decipher whether or not it was real… He dragged himself out of bed and to the kitchen where his grandparent and parents sat. They were all happy to see him finally out of bed. "And so the dead has risen!" Miles sang teasingly, greeting his son. Arnold laughed tiredly and nodded "Yeah… I guess I was passed due for some good shut eye" he said with a yawn, stretching like a cat. Gerdie skipped over happily, placing a cup of black coffee and some toast in front of him "Eat up, Tex… You need it after all you've been through!" she patted him on the back and joined them at the table. Arnold chugged down his coffee and nibbled at his toast, after everything that had happened between him and Helga had his stomach in knots, and he didn't have much of an appetite.<p>

"So, how is Helga doing by the way? Did everything at the hospital turn out alright?" Stella asked as she took a sip of her coffee, smiling brightly. "Yeah, they gave her stitches and some medication, said she would heal pretty well" he said, trying not to think about her very much. "Oh, Eleanor! How is she these days?" Gerdie interrupted quite excitedly upon the mention of Helga's name. Grandpa looked up from his paper "Oh, you mean that little girl with the one eyebrow?" he asked just catching the last bit of the conversation. Arnold was about to say something but was interrupted by his father "that Helga's turned into a real looker, eh, son?" he winked, nudging Arnold in the side. This comment caused the yellow haired boy to blush and he just nibbled on his toast a bit more, trying to ignore the conversation.

Why was his family so interested in Helga all of a sudden? He just didn't understand. Wanting to avoid any more idle chatter regarding Helga he stood up and excused himself to his room, using the excuse that he was still tired from the passed events and needed to lay down for a while. When he made his way back up to his room he flopped down onto his bed and stared up at the sky. He had to figure out a way to get Helga off his mind, he didn't even know why he was stressing over her so badly anyway! It didn't make sense! Nothing seemed to be making sense lately, and he was starting to wonder if leaving the jungle had been such a good idea after all…

"Arnold! Phone call!" a voice called from downstairs. Arnold groaned and dragged himself down the stairs to the house phone "Hello?" he answered and the sugary sweet voice on the other side sounded frantic.

"Arnold! I've been trying to reach you on your cell phone since Friday after school! Are you alright?"

"Oh, hey Lila… Sorry, I left my phone at school and I got stuck in the basement and… Well, it's a long story…"

"I know, Rhonda told me the whole story! I'm just ever so certain that I was so worried about you! Is Helga alright?"

"She's fine…"

"Good, I'm just ever so glad… I was wondering if you'd like to get together and maybe talk?"

"That sounds great, Lila, you can come over if you want"

"Okay, Arnold I'll have my daddy give me a ride over as soon as he gets home, which should be within the next hour… See you soon"

After their conversation, Arnold hung up the phone and made his way into the shower, getting ready before Lila soon showed up at his front door. Arnold smiled when he saw her holding a few movies in one hand and in the other hand a plastic bag filled up with bags of potato chips, bottles of yahoo soda, cookie, and popcorn. "After all the excitement, I thought you could use some junk food and movies" she said with a smile on her face. He grinned and helped her carry all the stuff up to his room "Gee, Lila… You really didn't have to do all that…." He said rubbing the back of his neck as she sat down on the couch. "I'm just ever so certain that I wanted to, Arnold" she said with a small blush tinting her cheeks.

That's really nice of you, thanks Lila" he said taking a seat beside her "What movies did you have in mind?" he asked. She giggled "Well, I thought maybe we could have a Lord of the Rings marathon, so I brought all three movies" she said and handed to him. "Great!" he exclaimed with excitement and popped the movies into his DVD player. With his remote control he turned on the surround system and then pressed a button that would cause a giant metal plate to slip out from under the skylight so the room was submerged in darkness. "Wow, that's just ever so cool" Lila said in amazement "Yeah, I just had it installed, along with a new entertainment system" Arnold replied happily, eager that he got to try out his new toys with such an amazing girl. Lila smiled warmly at him as she popped open a bag of chips and a bottle of yahoo soda one for her and one for Arnold. "Thanks" he said with a smile and started the movie.

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><p>A little less than halfway through the second movie, they found that they were already down two bags of chips, a whole package of Oreo cookies, and a six pack of Yahoo soda. "Oh, I don't feel very well, Arnold…" Lila moaned, clenching her bloated stomach. Arnold laughed and nervously slid an arm around her shoulder, surprised when she didn't pull away. She leaned into him, her head on his shoulder "Maybe you shouldn't have eaten all that junk food" he chuckled. "I'm ever so sure you had just as much as I did…." She groaned in agony, the mixture of sweets, soda, and chips not sitting well in her fragile stomach. "Yeah, but Gerald and I are used to it… We used to eat way more than that when we were younger" he laughed and pulled her close. Her hands slid from her stomach to around his waist, gripping him tightly. "I'm ever so certain that I'm just not used to eating junk food…" she wretched, feeling sick, Arnold rubbed her shoulder softly and ended up pausing the movie. "Can I get you some Alka-Seltzer?" he asked and she nodded in pain. He jumped up and quickly ran to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and Alka-Seltzer tablets.<p>

He made his way back up to his room and helped Lila drink down the fizzing water, helping her stomach to settle a little better. "Grandpa drinks these all the time… Something about raspberries... He swears by them…" he said, pondering the mystery that was grandpa's raspberries. Lila smiled weakly at Arnold "Arnold, may I just lay down for a little bit, while we finish the movies?" she asked sweetly, he nodded and grabbed a blanket from his bed. "Of course, Lila" he said as she lay down on the couch, he placed the blanket over her and resumed the movie. About four and a half hours later the credits for the third movie finally began to roll.

Arnold turned to Lila who was snoring on his couch. He smiled softly as he studied her every feature, beautiful auburn hair, pale complexion, clusters of freckles… Green eyes… He moved a stray lock of hair behind her ear to get a better look at her. She was so delightful to the naked eye, lovely and fair… She shared an uncanny resemblance to his breathtaking lover, Joanna… And maybe that's why even after all these years of being away, he was still so drawn to her… Because she reminded him of his Angel back in the jungle. It made perfect sense, Lila was attracted to Arnold because he reminded her of his cousin Arnie. Arnold was still attracted to Lila because she reminded him of his passed lover Joanna. And the sad thing was that neither of them realized that the feelings they had for each other were all just one big web of lies.

Lila stirred, before her green pools fluttered open and she sat up, stretching and yawning. "How long was I out?" she questioned, noticing the movie had already ended. "Almost five hours" Arnold chuckled and began collecting all the trash they left, putting it in the plastic bag. "Oh… I'm ever so sorry I just fell asleep on you like that; I really wasn't feeling well… I hope you understand" she said and looked down sadly. He smiled and sat next to her "It's alright, Lila… Your snoring was cute" he said teasingly and she looked at him embarrassed "Oh I'm every so embarrassed" she said and face palmed. "Don't be, Lila… I had a lot of fun, and you helped to take my mind off a lot of things" he said with his famous half lidded gaze. She perked up instantly and stood up; he walked her down the stairs and to the door where he father was now waiting outside for her. "Well, I'm just ever so glad that I could help you de-stress, Arnold… Ever so glad" she said with a feeling of accomplishment. "We should really do this again sometime…" he said rubbing his arm absentmindedly. She nodded in excitement "I'd absolutely love that, Arnold…" she said as he opened the door for her. They stood in his doorway for a long moment before he decided to make a move; he leaned in slightly, his eyes shutting slowly. Lila was surprised by his sudden actions, but was flattered at the same time, she had been waiting for him to finally do something and now he was. She leaned in, her eyes fluttering closed.

They soon closed the distance between them, their lips pressing softly against one another. There was no passion, no intimacy, just a sweet, innocent first kiss. The kind of kiss you'd received at the age of three or four, pure and gentle, and not quite understanding… Or maybe like the soft flutter of a butterfly's wings against your warm cheek, causing you to grow all warm and fuzzy inside. It was definitely nice, and Arnold didn't know how long he had waited for this moment… However, when they pulled away and Lila bid him farewell, disappearing into the sunset; Arnold couldn't help but feel… Nothing…. Which confused him deeply… When kissing the girl of your dreams shouldn't you see fireworks? Shouldn't it have felt like he was floating amongst the clouds, or dancing with angels? Maybe even just the feeling of a cold beverage sliding down your dry throat on a hot summer's day…. But no… Not even that. All he had felt was a pair of warm glossy lips pressed against his own, nothing special, no want, no passion, no nothing… Just flesh against flesh… It was most definitely peculiar…

With a soft "Hmm…" Arnold turned to walk back inside, closing the door behind him, his head in a completely different dimension…

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><p><strong>Welp, there you go, Chapter 9! And you all had better like it! Because I stayed up till… Well, I just finished it and its now almost 5 a.m! I had to stay up and finish this chapter so I could quickly upload it before the internet goes bye bye!<strong>

**Anyway, rate and review or I keel you!**

**TTFN! (Ta Ta for now!)**

** 33333333**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Sorry I took forever and a day to upload! Im finally back home from my adventures and will be updating much more frequently! I like to thank all my readers for all the lovely comments and also for being deticated readers to my storys! I love you all and I am so thankful to have you! You keep me motivated! Here's chapter 10!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 10: There's something sweet, and almost kind…<strong>_

It had been about a week and a half since Helga and Arnold were trapped in the school together. They hadn't conversed much since that night, aside from the occasional small talk about school assignments and the upcoming tryouts for the school's musical. They had presented their project, and worked on a few group assignments, but whenever Mr. Harvey assigned duet roles Arnold and Lila always chose each other, and so did Phoebe and Gerald. Come to think of it, Helga had noticed Arnold and Lila spending an oddly strange amount of time together… Arnold had even gone so far as to stop sitting with Helga at lunch and joining Lila for off campus lunch dates; leaving Helga to sit by herself in the cafeteria with nothing but her books and music to keep her company.

It came as no surprise to Helga that Arnold would have pulled away like that… But it did sadden her that their friendship had grown an extreme amount of distance, even in theatre class he barely even looked at her, let alone spoke to her. It left a gaping black hole right in the middle of her heart, but she knew deep down that she had to move on, for the sake of her sanity. Being the odd man out, Helga ended up having to pair with the teacher due to the odd number of students in the classroom. She wasn't complaining though, because pairing up with the teacher automatically meant an A, not that she couldn't get an A on her own. After all, it was theatre class, and Helga was the top student.

It was on a rare occasion that Phoebe and Gerald would not be together, and on those days were really the only times Helga got to see her best friend. Today was one of them. The small Asian sat cross-legged on Helga's satin bed sheets, working on the last bit of her homework; while Helga sat at her vanity mirror plucking away at the thick hairs that were starting to form in the center of her eyes. "Finished" Phoebe chimed as she shut her Calculus book and moved it to the side, flopping down onto the bed, her head hitting the soft pillow. Helga finished tweezing her eyebrows and turned to look at the tiny girl with a sly grin plastered across her face "About time, Pheebs!" she teased and walked over to her best friend, who was staring at her with a small smile. "So, Helga… Tell me about this doctor of yours again…" Phoebe chirped and sat up to look her friend dead in the eye. Helga smiled wickedly "He's really cute, and we're going to see a movie tonight" she eyed the clock, making sure she had plenty of time to get ready. "But… What about… Arnold?" Phoebe asked, a little sad at the fact that the two blond-haired teens hadn't become an item after those nights events took place.

Helga sighed softly and moved her blue gaze to the ground, counting the lines in the hardwood floor. She wanted with all her blackened heart to forget that awful night, but there were constant reminders every day that prevented her from getting her wish. She even had a forming scar to forever remind her of the night she once again had confessed her undying love for that football-headed angel… Only to be rejected, once again by the one being that gently stoked the burning fire deep within her. "I told you already, Pheebs… He doesn't share my feelings… He just wants me as a friend, nothing more… Even though I could hardly call what we have between us a friendship…" Helga's eyes were glossy, salty tears threatening to burst out at the mere utter of her angel's name. "Oh, I'm sorry, Helga… I shouldn't have brought it up! Please forgive me!" Phoebe's tiny arms flew around Helga's neck in a tight yet comforting embrace. She absolutely hated to see Helga cry, it was one of the most rotten things she could ever witness. To see someone so strong, someone so tough, someone she cared so much about lose her rough demeanor and break down in tears just at the mention of Arnold's name completely killed her. "Its okay, Phoebe… Let's just forget about ice cream, okay?" Helga tried to fake a small laugh at their acclaimed 'inside joke' and patted her friend on the back. "Forgetting" the words rolled off Phoebe's lips as she let go of the blonde-haired girl. "Now lets get you ready for your date!" she smiled humbly and they walked over to Helga's closet.

"How about this outfit?" Helga held up a pair of jean shorts, a white tank-top, and a blue and white flannel shirt, Phoebe nodding in approval. "I love it, Helga! It says 'I'm sexy and I don't even need to try'" Phoebe giggled and Helga shot her a sly grin. "Great, and if I'm going to try to get over Arn- I mean, Ice cream… I couldn't think of anyone better to do it with" she said eyeing the outfit on the hanger, trying to picture what kind of hairstyle would best suit it. "Helga!" Phoebe exclaimed with a deep blush tinting her pale cheeks, Helga chuckled and shot a look over at the Asian girl "That's not what I meant Phoebe!" she laughed and tossed the clothes onto her bed. "Well, Helga… I hate to leave you so early but Gerald is waiting outside, he needed help with his math…" Phoebe stood up, walking towards the door.

Helga sighed, but nodded in defeat, she knew it would be selfish of her to make Phoebe stay just so she could watch her get ready. When it came to love, Helga completely understood the lack of Phoebe's company. "Alright, Pheebs… Don't study too hard" Helga coughed and then shot her a teasing wink. Phoebe turned bright red and brought her hand up to her mouth, gasping slightly "Oh my…" thoughts of her and Gerald setting the homework aside to have some 'fun' flooded into her mind. It was way too much for her to handle. She put her thoughts aside and walked up to Helga, planting a small kiss on her best friends cheek "Have fun tonight, call if you need anything!" she sang as she headed out the door. "Thanks mom!" Helga sarcastically called before turning to her reflection in the mirror. "Now, what am I going to do with myself…." She said hopelessly combing her fingers through her blonde hair.

A couple of hours passed by and Helga stood in front of her mirror, contemplating her image. She had her white tank-top tucked into her high-waisted shorts with her flannel shirt messily thrown on top with the buttons undone. On her tiny feet were a pair of blue suede ballet flats, and on her head she wore a white headband. Her hair was now straightened, flowing lusciously around her tiny waist. She applied a thick coat of mascara to her already long black eyelashes and a pale pink lip gloss to her pouty lips, making them glisten in the light. She turned in every angle, examining her toned physique, adjusting herself in every way possible till she felt she looked perfect for her date. She smiled at herself, knowing this was good as it was going to get and the getting was good. The doorbell rang and Big Bob called to her.

"Olga! You have company!" This was it, her big date with that handsome man from the hospital. If anyone could take away the image of that stupid football-head that was forever burned into her brain, she was sure Dante could. Grabbing her house key and shoving it into her purse, she quickly made her way down the stairs only to come face to face with a very pale, very handsome, blue-eyed creature that was her date. He whistled at her and her cheeks turned bright pink "Hey there, beautiful, nice stems" he complimented, taking in her long muscular legs. Bob scoffed, standing in between them "Hey, hey, watch it pal, that's my daughter you're talking about" The beeper king warned, making it very clear that this new beau of hers was walking on dangerous grounds. Dante chuckled nervously and waved his hands apologetically as Big Bob Pataki shook his fist at him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Pataki, that was uncalled for… I'll have Helga home at a reasonable hour I promise" Dante held two fingers up as if to signify 'scouts honor' but Bob wasn't convinced. "Yeah, yeah twelve o' clock sharp and not a second later! And you better be careful, bub, because I have a shotgun and a shovel out back… And I doubt anyone would miss you" Pataki narrowed his eyes "Are we clear?" he leaned in, awaiting the answer of the frightened man. Dante nodded vigorously "As crystal!" he trembled, but Helga interjected. "I'll be home when I'm good and ready, Bob, don't wait up" she scowled at her all of a sudden overprotective father and before he could protest she quickly shoved Dante out the door, slamming it behind them.

"Your dad seems nice" Dante chuckled as he opened the passenger door of his car for Helga to step inside. He walked around to the other side and let himself in, starting up the engine. "Yeah, he's a real peach" she growled sarcastically, annoyed with her dad's performance. Dante just laughed and they drove off "So what movie are we going to see? I hope its not some ooey gooey smut…" she watched as he looked her up and down once again. "Actually, Helga… The carnival is in town and I was wondering if you'd like to go check it out?" he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. A wide smile crept upon her face and she nodded "I haven't been to a carnival since I was a kid, it sounds like fun" she agreed, and before she knew it they were parking in the crowded lot. She was about to open the door to the car but quickly decided against it as she saw Dante sprint around to the other side, trying to beat her to the punch. "M'lady" he said opening the door for her. She smiled "What a gentleman" she chimed as she stepped out, he could only grin widely "I try my best" he bowed his head to her.

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><p>They made their way to the tollbooth and Helga began to reach into her purse to pay for her admission but Dante protested. "Um, I am going to pay for you, Helga… Naturally" he said almost disgusted by the fact that she would even dream of paying for herself. She sighed deeply, not liking the fact that she couldn't pay for herself. Just the thought of someone else paying for her made her wretch, she believed in equal rights and all that bologna. "Thanks" she mustered putting her wallet back into her purse. "No, thank you, Helga…" he turned to her with a half lidded smile, she didn't quite understand. "For what?" she asked raising an eyebrow and he chuckled lightly. "For coming out with me tonight" he said softly and held out his hand, hoping she would lace their fingers, and she did.<p>

They had a blast together, riding the rides, eating cotton candy, getting to know one another. Dante had even gone so far as to win her a giant stuffed hello kitty plush doll that was almost as big as her. She had a hard time carrying it around with her. So there they sat on a wooden bench, ice cream cones in hand, and Dante's arm lazily slumped around her shoulder. "Are you having a good time, Helga?" Dante licked at the vanilla substance melting around his cone. The beautiful blonde nodded excitedly, taking a bite of her own cone and leaning against him "I am, thank you for bringing me here, and for winning me this Hello Kitty… Although I don't think I'll be able to find a spot for her on my bed" she laughed and put her arm around the doll sitting next to them. They both laughed in unison as Dante pulled her closer "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, and I hope we can have more nights like these" he nudged her happily. She could only blush and continue to nibble on her ice cream. When he finished with his cone he placed his cold hand under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. His eyes were half open, and his cold lips were parted slightly. Helga blushed and leaned up, her eyes starting to shut slowly, her lips puckering to meet his in a candied kiss. But much to Helga's disappointment they were interrupted.

"Hey, Helga" a familiar voice was heard walking up to them. Helga's head snapped back to see a football-headed teen walking up to them with a twiggy little freckled girl on his arm. They were the very last people in this universe that she wanted to be bothered by right now, and her dreamy gaze turned into a fuming annoyed look as she growled lowly. "..Football-head" Helga shuttered as the nickname she had so humbly bestowed upon him rolled off her tongue. Arnold could sense her discomfort and absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck "Sorry for interrupting… I just thought I'd come say hi…" he said innocently, taking his arm from around Lila's shoulder. "Hello, Helga, it's ever so nice to run into you here, who's your friend?" Lila gave a friendly smile and a wave.

Dante stood up, holding his hand out for her to shake "I'm Dante" he said with a smile. "It's just ever so nice to meet you, Dante. I'm Lila, and this is my boyfriend, Arnold" she said taking Arnold's hand softly. Arnold blushed a little and shook Dante's hand "We met at the hospital, right?" he asked, recognizing this boys oddly shaped head. Arnold nodded "Yeah, I was with Helga" he said glancing over at the blond girl still sitting in her seat. Helga grabbed her Hello Kitty doll in a death grip and squeezed it furiously, her blue eyes turning red with rage. Lila called Arnold her boyfriend, which just sent her into a fit of anger and panic. So they were dating! She could have figured as much. She kept quiet, afraid of the outburst that might explode out of her tiny frame; she definitely didn't want Dante witnessing the Mr. Hyde part of her. All three of the bodies standing there turned their gaze to Helga. She finally managed to compose herself and stand up to join them. So this is what Arnold was going to play at? Well, two could play at that game, and she was convinced she would be able to play it better.

"Well, Arnold-o I'd love for you to stay and chat, but I don't really want you to stay and chat, and as you can see, Dante and I were just a little busy before you and little Ms. Perfect over there came and so rudely interrupted" she said in a calm voice, sliding her arm around Dante's waist. He was a little shocked by her comment but understood her frustration, after all who wouldn't be frustrated by the fact that someone interrupted their first kiss? He put his arm back around her shoulder and smiled softly, noticing that Arnold just rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Helga…" he muttered before putting his arm back around Lila. "That's right, bucko, whatever I say, and don't you forget it!" she barked in frustration. "Well, It was just ever so nice to meet you, Dante, and it was nice seeing you too, Helga.. I'll see you at school" Lila said sweetly and waved. "Yeah, nice seeing you again, Dante" Arnold lied, a tinge of jealousy behind his words. "Bye, Helga…" he waved and walked off with his 'girlfriend' following at his side.

Helga scoffed in annoyance and sat back down, trying to calm her aching heart. Dante could see the uneasiness in her eyes and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her face once again. Her features softened as she stared into his crystal clear orbs "Now, where were we?" he teased a little. She smiled with her lids half massed "I'm just ever so sure you were about to kiss me" she said, mocking the girl who had snaked her love away. Dante snickered at her mockery and leaned in, pressing his sweet lips against hers, just as she thought… Vanilla… Even if she was still irrevocably in love with that stupid football-headed jerk, she had to admit… She could get used to this new man in her life… Their lips lingered there for a while before Dante pulled away and slid his tongue across his bottom lip; tasting the sweet mixture of vanilla, and now the chocolaty saliva that Helga had shared with his lips. It was a perfect mixture if he did say so himself. He laughed slightly, remembering the jealous look in Arnold's eyes as they walked off. He had a right to be jealous. Helga was utterly delicious and he had to admit, that weird football-headed kid had no idea what wondrous mysteries he was missing out on that Dante would soon be able to explore. Well, at least that's what his plan was…

"You know… I think that football kid likes you" he said teasing. Helga snapped back in shock, her eyes wide with horror "Arnold! No way! He likes that perfect little Miss Li-La… Besides I wouldn't be caught dead with a stupid football head like him!" Helga snapped nervously which only caused Dante to snort. "Why else would he have been burning with jealousy when I slid my arm around you?" he said wiggling his eyebrows at her, as he slid his arm around her waist. She shook her head "Can we just not talk about him? I've had enough football headed conversations to last me a life time" Helga said trying desperately to change the subject. Arnold was jealous? This made Helga happy and confused all at the same time, but she really didn't want to think about that right now… All she wanted was to be in the arms of this beautiful man "As you wish, gorgeous… how about I just kiss you instead?" he asked seductively and Helga blushed. "I could live with that" she nibbled her bottom lip. Dante wasted no time in closing the distance between them and exploring her mouth with his tongue.

It was already nearing ten thirty and the carnival was closing down for the evening, Helga and Dante found their way back to the car. "We have an hour and a half still… Do you want to maybe come back to my place?" Dante asked quizzically. Helga raised an eyebrow at his question and got into the passenger seat, not really unsure if going to his place was such a good idea. She knew dates that ended up at 'my place' were usually followed by steamy orgasms and regret, and she was just not ready for that yet. Especially not on a first date with a guy she barely knew, she shook her head, having to decline his offer. "Sorry, but I think I should get home, I have a test in the morning and I still haven't even studied" she lied. He nodded reluctantly and drove her home.

When they got to her house he got out and opened her door, walking her to her stoop, carrying the stuffed Hello Kitty for her. "Thanks for the wonderful night, Dante" Helga said with a thankful smile. Dante returned the smile and leaned down, placing a kiss upon her soft lips "The pleasure was all mine" he said after breaking away, he handed her the doll and watched as she went inside before getting in his car and driving away. Helga tried to quietly make her way up the stairs, hearing someone stir in the living room. "Now you just hold it right there, little lady" Helga shuddered at the sound of Big Bobs scolding voice. "I told you to be home at midnight sharp, not a second later!" Bob yelled, Helga turned around with a nasty scowl upon her face. "You said midnight, Bob… It's eleven, doi" she argued and pointed down at her watch. Bob just rolled his eyes "Well, I don't think I want you hanging around that Damien kid, he's bad news and… Too old for you!" Bob warned, shaking his finger in her face. Her eyes were in slits and she batted his finger away from her face "His name is Dante, Bob, and I can see whoever I want, whenever I want!" She scowled and turned around, walking up the stairs. "Yeah, well… Well, you're grounded missy!" Bob called up to her in annoyance, realizing that he couldn't control his kid… That needed to change.

Helga slammed her door and undressed, falling down onto her bed. She squeezed the Hello Kitty doll, a large toothy grin plastered across her cheeks. The night's events played over and over in her mind, how Dante so kindly won her the doll, paid for her food and ticket, the feeling and the taste of his cold lips against hers. His sugary sweet kiss, his intoxicating smell, his blue gaze, oh he was the perfect outlet to her obsession. Arnold, what a moroon, what a dolt, what a sap, he was missing out on the wondrous Helga Pataki, and settling for little Ms. Perfect Lila… And then her heart sank, she sighed to herself and pulled out her updated locket from her bra, sliding her fingers across the glass. "Oh, Arnold… Even after a night of pure bliss with an amazing man, I still can't shed my love for you… Why must you haunt me, tormenting me so? Can't you see that I'm dead inside? And it's all because of you… You stupid football head, I hate you, I hate you, and I hate you!" she said growing angry and chucking the locket at her wall across the room. The glass on the locket shattered, and the small heart broke in half, making the corner its new home. Helga scowled and turned over on her other side, bringing her new doll with her; she shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

They days came, and they went, they seemed to fly by and yet they dragged on. Helga and Arnold grew ever apart with each passing night. Now when they saw each other in the halls they would just turn in the other direction, there was no more small talk, no more theatre projects. Arnold had even gone so far as to request being moved to Lila's table where they became inseparable. They were no doubted the "Hottest" couple in school, and this made Helga want to puke. Although, Helga could have sworn she saw Arnold taking glances at her on more than one occasion, whenever Lila wasn't looking.

Helga had been spending most of her evenings with Dante, seeing movies, romantic dinners, and late night rendezvous at his home with bottles of wine. Never ending in intimacy, of course. No matter how hard Dante tried to get her into bed, she refused. She was just not ready yet, and she absolutely knew that as much as she liked Dante, she didn't love him and he wasn't the man she wanted to completely give herself to. And as much as she had slowly started to overcome her aching obsession over Arnold, deep down in her heart she knew he would always be that boy… But she was not that girl… ( :P ) There had to be something she could do to make him see that she WAS that girl! But what? And then she got it… She had a full proof plan that had to work. And in the mean time, she would sit back and let her new boyfriend shower her with presents and cheesy dates.

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><p>The sun peeked over tall buildings, shining into the blonde girl's window, reminding her that today was the day of the school try-outs. Her alarm cried loudly, trying to wake her up on time so she could get ready for the day's big events. Her small hand whipped around her body, slamming down onto the screaming alarm, silencing it automatically. She hadn't slept a wink the night before; she was too busy practicing over and over and over again, completely anxious and frightened of the day to come. She had gotten into bed at around three a.m. and lay there, nauseous. It seemed that by the time her eyes had finally grown heavy and sleep overcame her; her alarm had gone off just a few moments later. The tired blonde pulled herself out of her bed and dragged herself into the shower, blasting it on cold to help wake her up. "Criminey!" she yelped as the ice water poured down onto her flesh. Welp, that did it alright, she was awake and rushing.<p>

She ran up to her room and picked out today's outfit. A black tank-top with a turtle neck, and a white pleated skirt with a pair of white spandex shorts un underneath, for modesty purposes considering her skirt was rather short. She wore a pair of black flats and let her hair dry in curls, holding it out of her face with her white headband. Today she decided to line her eyes with black eyeliner and a heavy coat of mascara. No lip gloss, but she did put on her delicious cherry chapstick and shoved it into her purse, running out the door and to the bus stop. She didn't feel like walking today because it started raining again and she didn't want to get her white skirt wet. She took the only seat available, next to Brainy who was sitting behind Arnold and Lila. He was wheezing like usual and lit up when Helga sat down beside him. "Hey Brian" Helga greeted nonchalantly, eyeing the back of Arnold's head. Now would be the perfect time to wad up a spit ball in her mouth and shoot it at him, but she had long since grown up and that was below her. So she just sat in silence as Brainy scooted closer, trying to snake his arm around her "Don't even think about it, bucko…" she warned, holding up her fist. "Uhh… Kay…" Brainy quickly snapped his hand back.

"Hello Helga, I'm just ever so excited about the tryouts today… Are you excited? I'm just ever so sure you'll get a leading role, you're ever so good at acting, and dancing" Lila turned to look Helga in the eye. She just scoffed, Lila was always so nice to her and she really didn't understand why, she was utterly annoyed by her and wanted nothing to do with her, they were on completely different levels… Yet somehow Lila always found an excuse to talk to her, and be nice to her. What in the criminey was her deal! "You look just ever so beautiful today, Helga! I love your outfit!" Lila chirped with a smile, trying to converse with the blonde girl. At the mention of Helga looking stunning, Arnold turned around to look her up and down. Helga blushed as his eyes wandered. "Well, good luck today Helga!" Lila chimed and turned back around to face the front. "Yeah, good luck" Arnold added and also turned to the front. "You too…" Helga muttered and rode the rest of the way to school in silence.

Most of the day's class assignments had been postponed to another day, all the teachers were raving to the students about trying out. Each of the classes sent a few groups of students at a time to the gym for the tryouts, and Mr. Harvey's class, as well as Mr. Simmons' class had been canceled for the day because they were two of the judges. Principal Wartz was the last judge. Come time for theatre class, all the students in that period sat in the gym on the bleachers, waiting eagerly for their turns. Helga, Phoebe and Gerald sat together talking about what they were going to try out with. "You're trying out, Gerald-o?" Helga asked with a snicker, and he nodded. "Yeah, why not? It counts for half of our grade in Mr. Harvey's class" he said not fazed by Helga's ridicule. "Well, that's cool I guess… I just never pegged you as the musical type" she shrugged "Yeah, me neither, but it could be fun" Gerald pulled Phoebe in close to him and winked.

Arnold and Lila walked up to them, hand in hand, taking seats besides the three teens. "Hey guys, what are you talking about?" Arnold asked in a friendly tone, glancing at Helga for just a moment then turned his eyes to Gerald. "Hair boy here is going to try out for the musical" Helga snorted, this made Arnold raise an eyebrow "Really? You?" he asked confused, remembering back to their conversation on the bus. Gerald was a bit angry with Arnold ever since he had decided to spend every waking moment with Lila and completely forget about the fact that he had friends. So his answer was no less than a bit rude "Well, Arnold… If you would stop playing kissy face with your girlfriend long enough to notice I'm alive then maybe you would've known that I planned on trying out" Gerald said, turning his nose up a little. Helga snickered at Arnold's expression "Serves you right, football head" Helga scoffed. "Helga, shut up" Arnold barked.

"Lila Sawyer!"

A voice called from the stage and Lila stood up nervously "Well, here goes nothing…" she trembled. "Good luck, princess" Helga said, trying to be nice. "Yes, good luck, Lila" Phoebe chimed. Arnold planted a small kiss on Lila's cheek, causing Helga and Gerald to grimace a little "Good luck, you'll do great" he said as she nodded and headed down to the stage. They all sat and watched as she began the line reading, doing marvelously. They all applauded with smiles gracing their faces. "Alright, Brava! now you will perform your dance number please" Mr. Harvey called and sat back in his chair. Lila sighed nervously and took off her shoes, before handing them her IPod to plug into the sound system. She had chosen to dance to the song "Satellite" by "Dave Matthews band" chasseing, developpeing, fouetteing, and tour jeteing around the stage. She finished with a series of barrel turns, a rond de jamb and finally a releve, holding her arms out in second position with a small smile of accomplishment on her face. "Very good, now perform your finishing song" Mr. Harvey pressed on, and she signaled to the woman working the system on her fingers track three. The music began to play and Lila's lips parted to begin singing "Think of me" from "The phantom of the opera." When she was finished everyone clapped with a standing ovation and she bowed, accomplished. "Thank you ever so much" Lila said with a smile and left the stage, heading back to her friends.

"Wow, Lila! That was really good!" Arnold said and stood up to meet her, embracing her softly. She giggled "Thank you, I'm just ever so sure I was nervous the whole time" she said and sat down. Helga shrugged "sure didn't look like it to me" she said with a snort and leaned back. "Yes, Lila, that was a phenomenal performance" Phoebe said with a smile, patting her on the back. Even Gerald who had started to dislike Lila for stealing his best friend away smiled and added his own two cents in "Yeah, Lila that was really good" he praised. After Lila had gone it was Phoebe's turn. She did a simple dance that even she could master, she did a fantastic job at the line reading and her voice was exquisite. There was no doubt that she would get a good part, just one that didn't involve much dancing. After Phoebe tried out, Mr. Harvey called Gerald up, then Arnold, a few other students in between and finally, last but not least.

"Helga! Get down here please!"

Mr. Harvey called, waiting eagerly to see what Helga had put together. Helga sighed nervously. She was about to perform in front of half the school and her childhood friends. Most of them completely unaware that she could sing and dance all they knew was that she could act. Her friends wished her luck and with her head held high she took that long walk up to the stage. She kicked her shoes off and reached into her purse, pulling out her tattered pointe shoes. She put them on, tying the ribbons around her ankle and did a few plie-releve's to warm her feet up. They hooked up her IPod and put her song on, which was "Clubbed to Death" by "Don Davis" it was off the "Matrix" soundtrack. Her dance was a mixture of ballet, and modern. She glided across the stage en pointe beautifully, her every move causing her fellow students to stare in awe. Her movements were flawless, and she finally finished with some floor work before everyone stood up and clapped, wanting more. "That was fantastic Helga, now for your song" Mr. Harvey smiled "Right… Um… Track six" Helga said nervously, her cheeks red with nerves.

The music began to play and Helga sighed deeply, trying to prepare herself for the embarrassment she was about to face. As she sang, everyones jaw dropped, she was amazing and no one had expected her to be so… good! Before she knew it the song was over and she sighed in releaf and was excused from the stage "Brava, Helga! Just exquisite!" Mr. Harvey chimed and stood up, clapping his hands vigorously. Helga blushed and stared at the ground as everyone clapped and she ran off the stage to join her friends, who were completely awestruck by her performance.

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><p><strong>Sorry I ended this chapter so abruptly but I wanted to hurry and get it uploaded. I promise the next one will be much better! I just got to get back into the groove of my fanfic.<strong>


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